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Haiduk has been a going concern for well over a decade now, with every release from the band striving to do something different from the last while still retaining their core sound. Diabolica is their fourth and latest release, and it sees sole member Luca Milojica continue to work in his own unique brand of Black/Death punctuated by relentless speed and unorthodox time changes that make the songs pretty straightforward despite the slight prog tendencies they show. This differs from his previous release, Exomancer, by being more aggressive and less moody than before, making this more similar to his older albums without being imitative of them. As always, the guitar work is the highlight of the album, wringing out an endless supply of evil, face-ripping riffs in a way only Haiduk can.

All that said, this isn't an album without fault. The vocal lines are a bit weaker than usual, and the vocals in general suffer from an iffy mix that sounds like you can hear him blowing into the microphone. I also think that Luca could do with getting a real drummer, because the drum machine is still very obvious after all this time and starting to become a real detriment to his sound. Still, Diabolica is more of that unique blend of Black/Death that you can really only call Haiduk at this point, which is something he should be proud of. Recommended.