Diviner: Avaton | Keeping the Heavy Metal Fire Burning
(2023 – Rock Of Angels Records)
I don’t remember where I read that Diviner was a Thrash Metal band, but the reality is very different from the label assigned by who knows who. Diviner is an explosion of pure traditional Heavy Metal, and that’s what really matters, but is that all there is to it? Let’s see…
Diviner is a band based in Greece, a country that has been producing great Metal bands lately, and this one is no exception. With two full-length albums already under their belt, “Avaton” is the band’s third album, consisting mainly of vocalist Yiannis Papanikolaou, formerly of InnerWish. For this third album, Papanikolau completely changed Diviner’s lineup, completing it with George Nidriotis on bass, Lefteris Moros on drums, Teo Ross on guitar, and Alex Flouros on the other guitar. All of them have extensive experience in Metal. The result is clear to see, or rather to hear. “Avaton” is like a rebirth of Diviner in every sense.
Maintaining the essence of traditional heavy metal, Diviner offers us an album full of references to influences such as Iron Maiden, Manowar, Dio, Judas Priest, Running Wild, and everything that sounds like 80s metal. This is the path that Papanikolau retraces with this new Diviner lineup, maintaining the concepts we already knew from his previous work, “Realms Of Time,” but with the difference that in “Avaton” there is a much more precise approach to 80s metal.
The album begins with the instrumental “Avaton,” which leads into “Mountains High,” an emotional track with an epic feel that makes it one of the main pieces on this album. Its galloping base and impressive guitar solo are reason enough for it to be one of the highlights of the album. Diviner also attacks head-on with “Dancing In The Fire,” a song that would not have been out of place in Ronnie James Dio’s repertoire. In “Cyberwar,” the mid-tempo base and very interesting riffs deliver another great song with enough melody to make it unforgettable.
Halfway through the album comes “Waste No Time,” a kind of ballad with a pure riff beginning and a melodic structure that brings Diviner closer to hard rock, but they return to pure heavy metal with Nemecic, another high-caliber firecracker and another of the highlights of Avaton. In “Hope Will Rise,” Diviner’s path comes closer to that of Running Wild-style power metal. The riff setting the pace is what stands out most in “Hall Of The Brave,” another fierce piece with an unmistakable Manowar vibe.
The most epic part of Avaton is “The Battle Of Marathon,” which, with a firm foundation and mid-tempo pace, showcases the band’s most musically intricate side and obviously tells the story of the historic battle between the Greeks and Persians, including a few words in Greek as well. This track marks the end of the album, but at least in the edition we have in our hands, there is a bonus track: “Dead New World,” a previously unreleased track, but we don’t know if it belongs to the same recording session as “Avaton” (everything seems to indicate that it does) or if it is an earlier track by the band.
Perhaps Diviner may sound cliché, or that they haven’t invented anything that hasn’t been done before, and that may be the case, but in any case, the point is that if that were really the case, let me add that what stands out most here are the songs and the construction of the album’s concept. On “Avaton,” no two songs are alike, and above all, there are good, powerful pieces of authentic heavy metal. Also, it’s fair to say that there is an excellent instrumental foundation that supports each song included. The combo is therefore interesting, and one can even notice a more than positive evolution in Diviner’s music. That’s what ultimately matters.
Although Diviner is considered a Christian band, the lyrics of the songs do not have the clichés or direct messages for which bands of that label are known. Instead, the band delves into topics such as current events, social issues, and personal matters, even stories from ancient times, as in the case of “The Battle Of Marathon.”
“Avaton” was recorded at Devasoundz Studios, produced and mixed jointly by Fotis Bernardo and the band itself, and mastered by George Nerantzis, achieving a sound reminiscent of 80s heavy metal, striking a balance between the classic and the contemporary. The mix captures the different sounds of each instrument very well, placing a lot of emphasis on the guitars and the excellent voice of Yiannis Papaniolau, even playing with the famous stereo effect on many occasions.
The artwork is not surprising but remains within the parameters of a band like Diviner. The cover of “Avaton” is sufficiently metallic and epic to convey the idea and concept of both the band and the album. The inner sleeve, of course, contains the lyrics, photos of the band members, and other technical information. It has also been released on vinyl, so lovers of classic metal have yet another excuse to get their hands on an album that is worth its weight in the format preferred by heavy metal fans.
Here are two video clips for the songs “Mountains High” and “Waste No Time,” both of which serve to promote this album. Of course, we’ll leave you with the coordinates to find these good folks on social media and keep up with the band’s latest news….
https://www.facebook.com/Divinermetalband
https://www.instagram.com/diviner_official_
