Usurper: Diabolosis... (1989)

I do this a lot.  I went backwards in my reviews.  Today's post is Usurper's debut album, released in 1989.  Now I could save time here and just say look at the last two posts for an idea of what Usurper's debut album sounds like.  But why the hell would I do that?

Usurper's debut definitely borrows heavily from the sound of Celtic Frost and Hellhammer, and yes I have said that over and over again in the last two posts.  Honestly though that is simply the best way to describe Usurper's sound.  In fact there are moments where I was sure that Usurper turned to covering Celtic Frost.  But that was not the case.  Even the vocals sound like a carbon copy of Tom G. Warrior.

The band does craft a dark and foreboding atmosphere, with crawling riffs and impressive songwriting.  The result is a strong album that, while certainly not original in the slightest, at least holds the listener's attention.  Usurper is one of the better Celtic Frost imitators out there.