Artist: Diabolus, Mecum Semperterne!
Country: Norway
Label: Terratur Possession
Formats: LP / CD
Year: 2026
Those that follow the Terratur Possessions label or the Trondheim Black Metal scene with interest will (want to) know, this is one to watch. Diabolus, Mecum Semperterne!, a phrase that translates to “The Devil, Always With Me”, find its band name origin in Medieval Masses that inspired the Black Mass liturgy that arose around 1900, one inspired by decadence, pessimism and fear. Behind the name is new band that was started by two veterans of the Trondheim scene that for some reason had never ended up playing together despite over 30 years in the Black Metal scene. Most instruments are performed by Cernunnus, legendary for his work with Manes and later with the phenomenal Manii and Syning, someone who is beyond doubt one of my favorite Black Metal songwriters. He reached out to K.R. on vocals, known for his early work with Bloodthorn and of course these days as vocalist of Whoredom Rife and Parfaxitas. United through their affiliation with Terratur Possesions, they recruited two more members of a newer generation of Trondheim Black Metal: B. Kråbøl of Misotheist and Enevelde on drums, and E. Blix aka Kvitrim of Mare, Kaosritual, Black Majesty, Djevel and Vemod as a second vocalist. A collective that captures the rich quality and tradition of Trondheim’s Black Metal scene in one, could this be too good to be true?
It would perhaps be tempting to expect Diabolus, Mecum Semperterne! to sound like a mixture of Manii, Whoredom Rife, Mare and Misotheist, and while on a superficial level I guess that could somewhat work, it would be far too lazy and restrictive to describe them like that. Rather than what bands I’m reminded off, I feel it’s better to describe the overall feeling of the sound. Starting with the drums, they are one of the main elements of the production. Often hammering relentlessly, they form a nearly impenetrable wall together with the rumbling bass and gritty, slightly more distant guitars. The riffs can be rather obscured, but as the songs progress, more elaborate melodies awaken, taking up a more prominent part of the sound. Draped upon these are funereal keyboards, that with the other instruments combine into a pitchblack sound. This is enforced by the bellowing growls of K.R., violently spewed in an incantatory manner, as if reciting passages as part of a Satanic ritual. These are contrasted by the vocals of E. Blix, who here excels with clean, incantatory singing. These slightly reverbed ethereal choir-like chants, which are pushed slightly further back into the mix, greatly elevate the atmosphere of ‘Diabolus, Mecum Semperterne!’ to a Mass-like grandeur.
The album is divided over nine tracks: an intro to precede, and three interludes to separate four full Black metal tracks, and a lengthy postludium to conclude the record. Within each of these full tracks there is a sense of a progression, an awakening of sorts from a dark and brooding suffocating sound slowly working towards a more melody-enriched and elated ending. It feels as with every track, a ritual advances, not just within the songs themselves, but also as part within the entirety of the album. As the titles reveal, they deal with receiving the blessing of the burning one, letting the devil in your heart and on your lips, giving praise to the Lord, our God and finally the revealing of his glory. The intro and interludes mainly consist of short ambient soundscapes with evangelic clean singing that connect these phases of the ritual. The Postludium is then the aftermath, an escalating ringing of church bells and clean choirs upon a buzzing droning sound, the sound of an apocalyptic accomplishment.
Due to this unified nature of ‘Diabolus, Mecum Semperterne!’ and also for the sake of brevity, I will leave the intricacies of each of the tracks to be revealed to the listener itself. However, I feel the album as a whole does deserve a personal verdict. And that is, that to me Cernunnus has once again outdone himself. Crafting an atmosphere like only he can, embellished by some of the most devoted members of the Trondheim Black Metal scene has led to something beyond expectations. So Nidaros worshippers, take heed. Indulge yourself in the oppressive dense wall of guitars and drums, the forceful spewing vocals, pushed further into darkness with ominous funereal organs. Enjoy the contrast with beautiful rising melodies, ethereal preaching clean chanting, the sense of elation and worship as the dark incantatory ceremony progresses. To me, Diabolus, Mecum Semperterne! is an undeniable statement of the unique quality and dedication of the Trondheim scene to Black Metal.
