Diminished 7 - Dim World (2009)

   Dark and romantic, sensual and gloomy - this is how I would describe the sound of Diminished 7! The album 'Dim World' represented irremediable love at first audition, love that still keeps on growing to this day. The balance between brutal and serene is more than perfect, melancholic but with obscure impetus, beastly growls added here and there to the infinitely pleasant predominant clean vocals, 'Dim World' can easily be considered a perfect release. When listening to an album, everyone probably has one or two less favourite songs that they tend to skip. In this case, the whole thing is a real masterpiece.   
   The opening song is 'Your Warmth From A Candle', which transmits the comfort of an approaching, anticipated tranquility after long struggles. Quite romantic and mystic at the same time, with the repeated element of the candle. Next up is 'Taste A Vampire', my personal favourite I would say. It's about a vampiric love story, with a heavily obsure, bloody and romantic atmosphere in melodic line and vocals, as well as the lyrics, hosting a lot of perfectly structured variety. 'She Lost Her Heart In Hollywood' has a more sort of cheerful and light flow of sounds which seems to be in slight opposition with the tragic lyrics, describing the stereotypical Hollywood-ian despair worn under a mask of glamour. 'Our Darkest Love' could be referred to as a kind of calm resignation in two, materialized in form of a romantic, simultaneous death that will isolate the two lovers from the burden of life. The next piece is entitled 'Sleep In Shadows', chorus of which delivers a calm sort of sensation, the rest of the song contains some more pronounced growls and a reference to the band as gods, 'the diminished 7 gods are here with us'. 'Midnight Divine' is another personal favourite, also giving the illusion of vampiric ways, which is obviously the leading element of the album all in all. It gives the impression of the love and immortality of a new vampire in need of her maker's guidance. In 'Her Bloodlust At Sunset', we continue the occult journey in the depths of vampirism, embracing the scent of sacrifice that means giving up on mortal life in favour of love. 'In Fear Of The End Of Days' is clearly about death, which is yet unknown and thus, desperately feared. The last song is' Pre-Apocalyptic Meditation', a quite simple instrumental piece with calm continuity, that can suggest either a shade of resignation and hollow endlessness as an effect of the previous song, or a closing ritual to this journey that the album offered the listener.

   Playdeadnation warmly recommends this album to everyone wishing for an obscure, notional, soothing yet darkly dynamic heart- and mindtravel!

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