Diabulus in Musica is a Spanish

symphonic metal Symphonic metal is a cross-generic style designation for the symphonic subsets of heavy metal music subgenres. It is used to denote any metal band that makes use of symphonic or orchestral elements. The style features the heavy drums and guitar ...

band, formed in 2006.

History

Early years and ''Secrets''

The band was formed in

Pamplona Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region. Lying at near above ...

Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

in 2006 by Zuberoa Aznárez, Gorka Elso, Adrián Vallejo and Jorge Arca. Lead singer Zuberoa said in an interview with Sonic Cathedral WebZine that the main reason she founded Diabulus in Musica is because she needed an outlet for developing her own musical ideas. Xabier Jareño and Álex Sanz joined the band throughout the next few years. During the time Diabulus in Musica was recording some own tracks, which ones they won some battles of bands and some fame in

with. In 2009, the band released their first EP "Secrets" with the best tracks they recorded before. Those tracks and the name of the demo were included in their first full-length album ''Secrets''. ''Secrets'' was released on May 21, 2010 by the label

Metal Blade Records Metal Blade Records is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The US office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distrib ...

. The album was mixed by

Ad Sluijter Epica is a Dutch symphonic metal band, founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen after his departure from After Forever. Formed as a symphonic metal band with gothic tendencies, later Epica have incorporated into their sound strong death ...

and mastered by

Sascha Paeth Sascha Paeth (born 9 September 1970 in Wolfsburg, West Germany) is a German guitarist, bassist, musical producer, and mixer known for working with heavy metal bands such as Avantasia, Edguy, Angra, Shaaman, Rhapsody of Fire, Kamelot, After For ...

. In a review of this album, the German edition of ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

'' wrote that singer Zuberoa Aznárez was the band's strongest asset but the author criticized a lack in songwriting and an unclear mix of different styles.

''The Wanderer''

In the end of February 2012, the band released their second full-length album ''The Wanderer'', this time by the label

Napalm Records Napalm Records is an Austrian independent record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock. Originally, Napalm focused on black metal bands, such as Abigor and Summoning, and folk metal bands, such as Falkenbach and Vintersorg. The label later ...

. A review by the German ''Sonic Seducer'' magazine compared the album to ''Mother Earth'' by

Within Temptation Within Temptation is a Dutch symphonic metal band founded in April 1996 by vocalist Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt. They have been classified by critics as gothic metal and symphonic metal, although each album contains other inf ...

and lauded the balance of classically inspired tracks and harsh metal songs. Guest appearances on the album are from American guitarist John Kelly (''Antietam 1862'', ''Arbiter of Conceit''), Dutch guitarist/vocalist

Mark Jansen Mark Jansen (born 15 December 1978) is a Dutch guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. A prominent figure in the symphonic metal subgenre, he is known for his work with the bands After Forever (1995–2002), Epica (2002–present), and MaYaN (2010� ...

(ex-

After Forever After Forever was a Dutch symphonic metal band with strong progressive metal influences. The band relied on the use of both soprano vocals and death growls. In February 2009, it was announced that After Forever had disbanded. Singer Floor Jans ...

Epica Epica or EPICA may refer to: * Epica (band), a Dutch symphonic metal band * ''Epica'' (Kamelot album), 2003 * ''Epica'' (Audiomachine album), 2012 * The European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA) * The Epica Awards (International Adver ...

MaYaN Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...

) and Spanish vocalist Maite Itoiz.

Change in line-up and Argia

In late 2012, Adrián M. Vallejo, Xabier Jareño and Alejandro Sanz left the band, and were replaced in early 2013 by Alexey Kolygin, David Carrica and Odei Ochoa in their respective roles. In 2013, the new band line-up began work on the third album for the band, entitled ''Argia'', meaning "light or clear" in

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

. It was released on 11 April 2014 by Napalm Records in Europe and on 15 April in America. The album has so far received positive reviews - Ton Dekkers of Sonic Cathedral Webzine giving the album a 9.25/10 score, while Bart Schaaphok of Albumfeeds gave the album a 9.5/10 rating and noted that "Diabulus In Musica have brought out a jewel with this album". Matt Mason of Ave Noctum gave the album a 7/10 score, and noted that there were "Bright things afoot for these guys". Nick Webb from All About The Rock said "''The album has a good balance with the way that the songs are written, amalgamating the different styles together with ease''".Webb, Nick (17 April 2014),
Diabulus In Musica – Argia
. All About The Rock. Retrieved 23 April 2014.

Line-up

Current members

*Zuberoa Aznárez -

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

vocals, flute, baroque flute, whistle, harp, programming, samples (2006–present) *Gorka Elso - keyboards, samples, programming, grunts (2006–present) *Ion Feligreras - drums (2021-present) *David Erro - bass (2021-present) *Aimar Ibarzabal - guitars (2022-present)

Former members

*Jorge Arca - bass (2006-2008) *Santi Fernandez Ramos - drums (2006-2008) *Javier De La Casa - bass (2008-2009) *Alejandro "Alex" Sanz - bass (2010-2012) *Adrián M. Vallejo - guitars, harsh vocals (2006-2012) *Xabier Jareño - drums (2009-2012) *Odei Ochoa - bass (2013-2017) *David Carrica - drums (2013-2021) *Alexey Kolygin - guitars, backing vocals (2013-2022) Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

*2010: ''Secrets'' (

) *2012: ''The Wanderer'' (

) *2014: ''Argia'' (

) *2016: ''Dirge for the Archons'' (

) *2020: ''Euphonic Entropy'' (

)

Singles and EPs

*2009: ''Secrets'' (EP) *2012: ''Sceneries of Hope'' (single) *2014: ''Inner Force'' (single) *2016: ''Crimson Gale'' (single) *2016: ''Invisible'' (single) *2019: ''Otoi'' (single)

Music videos

*2012: ''Sceneries of Hope'' *2014: ''Inner Force'' *2015: ''Spoilt Vampire'' *2016: ''Crimson Gale'' (lyric video) *2016: ''Invisible'' *2019: ''Otoi'' *2020: ''The Misfit's Swing'' (lyric video)

Projects

*2012: Music for ''Itzalen Sua - El Fuego de las Sombras'' (DVD)

References

External links

Official WebsiteOfficial MySpace
{{Authority control Spanish symphonic metal musical groups Spanish gothic metal musical groups Musical groups established in 2006 Musical quintets