December saw a myriad of Metal drops to round out 2024 with a bang! One of which is the underground metal mysticism that comes with Blood of the Beloved and their remastered debut album Advocatus Diaboli – THE DEAD MASTER .

Proudly backed by Solunar Records, the re-master of Advocatus Diaboli – THE DEAD MASTER, originally debuting in 2021, emerges once more with greater mastery and terror than ever before. Meticulously recrafted by DeadDreamz of Silhouette Death, this sonic experience is sure to not only elevate the album’s presence, but it’s listening experience as well. Featuring collaborations from BatiBatt, Brittany Bordello, and their first mega-hit “The Conjuring Cypher” featuring a TON of MC’s and metal vocalists. 

Blending elements of thrash, nu-metal, trap, horrorcore, industrial, hip hop, and haunting melodies, Advocatus Diaboli – THE DEAD MASTER is a genre-breaking masterpiece. Fans of Slipknot, Mushroomhead, Grim Salvo, and SINIZTER will find themselves immersed in a dark, instinctive world that blends the boundaries of chaos and beauty.

“Sanguis Tuus Ex Delicto” brings the fantasy of a horror feature filled with screams, moans, and mystery. Really giving the album it’s best for an introduction that’s both absolutely terrifying and intriguing. This leads well into “Culling the Dark” which magnifies the terror with relentless screams and bludgeoning instrumentals, truly calling out to every demon and shadow to participate. The beat drops shortly after it starts to bring the intensity to your lips, and dance upon them like razors to a petrified mindset. The mixture is intoxicating and passionate, a starting track that’s easy to get hooked on.

“Run with the Coven” follows up the same, unparalleled heaviness, offering up more of the horror feel as it embraces the magnitude of underground hip hop blends. It’s a track that blows the speakers, and slips into the mind on its smooth, tranquil melody, despite the vocal panic that emits on top. Consistency in both sound and delivery really keep this track running into the next from the previous, seamless and dynamic.

The remastering of “I Am Hell” is powerful and drop-dead flawless. It’s a House of 1000 Corpses -esque track that I can’t get enough of. Simply put – it’s a must listen to really grasp how intense this track goes.

The little nods of shoveling bringing in “Feed the Ditch” really lays out the atmosphere and overall vibe of this beat. It’s mellow, heavy, and vibe-worthy. A track you can ride or grind with, no care or worry on the mind as you smirk and carry on with your diabolical business.

“I Saw The Devil” welcomes BatiBatt to accompaniment as this bludgeoning track goes wild from the start. It’s heavy, Slipknot in its roots, beating you down with unwavering strength and hulking speed. Vocals are gritty, fierce and maddening as they move from progressive insanity to an eerie calm. Bringing in the ferocity of early 2000’s heavy metal to helm this track, Blood of the Beloved leaves nothing more from this one than blood splatter and spit.

“Born of Flame” brings in the classic metal riff work to kick off this track’s insanity. It’s heavy, rigid, and fueled by a hip hop beat and a delectable metal rhythm that’s hard to ignore. It’s quick, heavy, and seamless, creating a track that’s both easy to listen to, and catchy as all hell.

Tracks like “Stigmata” brings in that hip-hop blend that’s oh-so-smooth, while bits like “Lightning From The Sky” tackle that thrash metal yearning without hesitation. It perfectly breaks up this 16-track feast, while still, somehow, meshing everything together. All the while, beats like “Monster You Made” brings in that mix of EDM that not only melts with the album’s feel, but somehow smooths it out.

Carrying into “Unworthy“, the album expands Blood of the Beloved’s genre influences more and more, touching once more on the horror sound while mixing it with heavy metal tones creating a ‘fun-house’ feel that’s both fun yet downright terrifying in its execution. This perfectly jumps into the mirror maze that is “Watch Them Fall” feat. Brittany Bordella. The mixed emotions, the adrenaline and fear that now ensnare the senses is amplified by this hammering track that relentlessly beats on an infectious melody while cranking vocal combos to the max. It’s intense, filled with horror and unknowns that settle on the soul in a way it needs to be heard and felt again and again.

“Holy Water” goes hard with the immediate BLEGH. It’s classic heavy metal in both sound and feel, with an added nod of horror sound and nu metal influence. It’s a headbanger with its smooth melody and gritty vocal work making it one of my favourites. Touching on rhythm and rhyme to keep the fusions from winding down, BotB doesn’t seem to let the energy fade, even as the album starts to round out.

“Wither” tackles the lighter, almost delicate site of BotB giving us that ballad-style track to compliment this album’s ever-shifting genre exploration. It’s calm, yet heavily layered with passion and complexity, dancing through ripe and rigid emotion with a colourful palette of instrumentals and vocalizations.

“Unforgiven” is exactly that – an unforgiving track of relentless weight and fever. It’s speedy in its vocal execution and jaw-dropping with its rhythms. A track that takes the bits of calm we’d experienced through BotB‘s explorations and scratches them from existence.

Rounding out this album’s re-mastering is “The Conjuring Cypher” that initially gave me the oldschool ICP feel with its introduction, before collecting itself into what Ice Nine Kills now builds itself upon. It’s got those elements of underground hip hop, topped by metal vocal prowess popping off with heavy vocal drops and an insane set of featured accompaniments.

Blood of the Beloved‘s remastering of Advocatus Diaboli – THE DEAD MASTER really just brings us back to what built these genre-exploring artists throughout the 2020 period. Tackling everything from hip hop to thrash, BotB takes every risk and challenge with a sharp grin and a maddened laugh, never stopping once to think of the result. It’s an album I’ll carry well through 2025, re-listening again and again, remembering that 2021 was only the beginning of the insanity they would create.

You can follow along with Blood of the Beloved, engaging in all their creations and experiments by following them on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and more!