Diavol Strâin
Eterno Retorno
self-released
It’s no secret that there’s been a steady uptick in dark, guitar-heavy goth rock over the past five or so years, running in a direction wholly perpendicular to the club friendly electro darkwave sound which has dominated nightclubs over the same period. That the former wave has dogmatically held to “darkwave” as a musical descriptor should perhaps be read as an aesthetic claim about the impossibly broad range of that style, more than as a categorical one trying to keep musical genres separate from “goth” as as a sociological/cultural term. Any way you slice the taxonomies, though, Chilean two-piece Diavol Strâin’s latest is a thunderous and triumphant standard bearer as those true-schoolers could hope to hold aloft.
From the combination of watery, flanged guitar and drum programming replicating the rhythm of someone being shoved down a long flight of stairs by a poltergeist on opening track “Ulthar” (a savvy Lovecraft nod), it’s apparent that Diavol Strâin aren’t gunshy about heaping on the drama. Thankfully, they have more than enough compositional chops to carry the weight of “Ulthar”‘s lumbering ambitions, and when Lau M’s vocals appear amidst the maelstrom – deep and controlled with the right mix of intimation and intimidation – it should quickly become apparent to goth connoisseurs that Eterno Retorno is something special. “Terminal De Silencio” is similarly well-laid, making a coy feint with icy, tinkling background synths before its form quickly coalesces into something much weightier and menacing, building towards a lurching, cinematic string and guitar riff.
The stormy maximalism of Diavol Strâin’s style here doesn’t just serve as a riposte to homogenous Boy Harsher clones on dancefloors, but as proof positive that their fellow traditionalists don’t have to settle for thin compositions or aping just one era or one band. Look at the record under a microscope and you’ll note how they’re blending the 80s roots of darkwave with the swirling, centrifugal arrangements of 90s heavyweights like Mephisto Walz and Corpus Delicti, but again, Lau’s vocals give them a character all their own. It’s also never a needlessly turgid or overly morose record, as the deft, punkish speed and economy with which they blitz through “Un Camino a la Muerte” and “Luna Invisible” shows.
Much has been already been made of the co-sign offered by the legendary William Faith lending his talents to the mix and master of Eterno Retorno. If one jumps back even just one year to the Vipera Mortis EP the technical savvy Faith is lending to Eterno Retorno becomes apparent; his resume’s as long as any of his waistcoats and most importantly ensures that each of the record’s component parts has its own place in the overall smokey miasma and is never compressed into obscurity. But those earlier records also show that Diavol Strâin’s labyrinthine ambitions on Eterno Retorno are nothing new; and that a track as hypnotic and addictive as closer “11 Ecos” doesn’t just materialize out of nowhere. They’ve always been aiming for something as complex and nuanced as this record, and now in terms of sound, songwriting, and presentation they’ve created what might prove to be the best darkwave record of 2026, definitions and dancefloor trends be damned. Highly recommended.
