Track By Tracks: Diabology - Father Of Serpents (2022)

1. Father of Serpents:

Being the opener and title track, we wanted Father of Serpents to set the tone for the rest of the album. Eerie cleans kick into groovy, thrashy riffs with a catchy hook and a ripping solo. It's a very dynamic song that musically represents everything we set out to do with this album. The lyrics describe the Father of Serpents, who is the embodiment of all the evil and corruption in the world, destroying everything. Most of our lyrics tell stories or have morals, but with this song, I just wanted to paint a picture of an epic scene.

2. Writhe:

I wanted the first chord of Writhe to be like a punch in the face. The song starts at a breakneck pace and never lets up. It also features what may be my favorite Diabology solo: it's not long, but it's catchy as hell. Lyrically, the song describes humanity's self-destructive tendencies, very much inspired by songs like "Fight Fire With Fire".

3. The Softest Grave:

The Softest Grave is perhaps the most unique song on the album. I really wanted to lean into our more melodic and groovy side without compromising the tenacity. The main riff is technically major, as is the solo. It even features a brief synth line, the only one on the album. The lyrics were inspired by the concept of birth. You always hear birth described as a beautiful event, so I wanted to invert that and describe it in a sinister, almost occult way. After all, you're summoning the greatest evil of all: babies!

4. Eat My Heart Out:

Eat My Heart Out starts with a duel classical guitar piece before kicking into a catchy thrasher, which ultimately melts down into a blackened Hellfest. This is the most layered song on the album, with tons of guitar and vocal harmonies throughout. Our first album featured a lot of lyrics about violence and gore, and while I wanted to expand our lyrical themes with this release, this song not only continues the tradition of gory lyrics but dials it up to 11.

5. Spoil:

Spoil is the album's brief instrumental interlude. It starts with a slow-burning clean guitar build before it kicks into a ripping solo. It's probably the most inspired by classic 80s metal out of any song on the album. Jack chose the name, and I thought it was great because the word Spoil can have so many meanings, both positive and negative. People fight for the spoils of war, but you don't want spoiled food. Everyone wants to spoil their kids, but no one likes a spoiled brat.

6. Blackblood:

Blackblood is the Diabology song that I am most proud of. Every instrument gets a chance to shine, and from the thrash opening riff to the doomy, sludgy breakdown to the lead guitar harmonies, every second of this song is a joy to play. I wanted the lyrics to be just as badass as the song, so I just started throwing together cool phrases David Bowie style, trying to see what stuck out. The end result was the story of a pirate who's greed leads him to cursed treasure and a macabre fate.

7. March to Sea: 

March to Sea ended up being one of the most emotional tracks on the album. The lyrics were inspired by the brutality and corruption that we see rife in our society today. I wanted to highlight the inhumanity of it all, but also highlight the potential for change and the importance of unifying against injustice. Little did I know that only hours before we were scheduled to record vocals for this song, Russia would launch a brutal, senseless crusade against Ukraine. The atmosphere is generally pretty lighthearted when we're in the studio, but that stood out as a rare somber moment amidst the mayhem.

8. Ode to Ogtha:

Ode to Ogtha was inspired by a story a read on Reddit. It was a man describing his sexual fantasy, in which he fucks a human-sized cockroach which he had named Ogtha. He goes on to describe how this fantasy has become a fetish and how it has become his greatest source of shame. I found that push-pull dynamic very fascinating: he was ashamed of his unusual desires, yet he describes in great detail how much pleasure his fantasies bring him. I think most of us can relate to that internal conflict, if not to his bug-fucking desires. The lyrics are backed by manic thrash riffs before the song breaks down into a flowing melodic solo.

9. Chimera:

Diabology doesn't do ballads, so when we want a change of pace on our albums, we get doomy instead. Chimera is that doomy change of pace. It's the longest song on the album, with multiple guitar solos and several tempo changes. It was probably the hardest song to record since it was a bit out of our comfort zone, but I'm really happy with the end result. The lyrics on this song were a collaboration between me and Jack, which is the first time I've collaborated on our lyrics. They describe an avian creature created in a lab who is set out into a world with no kin. We wrote the lyrics in late 2019, unaware that isolation would soon take a center stage in our lives.

10. Lighthouse Hymn:

Lighthouse Hymn is the most personal song on the album. Sometimes things go wrong, way more wrong than we ever thought they could, in ways that we are powerless to stop. Life can be so unfair and fickle that it feels meaningless, but I believe that we all give meaning to our own lives. We all have something or someone that we cling onto no matter what, for better or for worse, and that's what Lighthouse Hymn is about. The song's aquatic themes were inspired by the churning rhythm of the chord progression, which ultimately gives way to violent breakdown that closes out the album.