DIPHTHERIA – To Wait For Fire

Diphtheria is a band that was originally formed in the early 1990s on the island of Cyprus. Despite their youth, the five-member group impressed nearly everyone who heard them perform. Over the next few years, Diphtheria would record a couple of demos and have a song appear on a 1999 Iron Maiden tribute album. They would also play live once in a while, with the most recent performance being in 2003.

Despite having been around for quite a while, a variety of different commitments – and perhaps fate – would keep Diphtheria from ever releasing a full-length album. Until now that is: To Wait For Fire is the 10-song “debut” disc from Diphtheria. Originally recorded in 2003, the disc is finally seeing a limited release, with only 1,000 copies having been printed. According to the band’s Myspace site, this will also most likely be the “last” album to bear the Diphtheria name, making To Wait For Fire both the band’s debut and swan-song.

Diphtheria is definitely an old-school Heavy Metal band, with no frills or delusions of grandeur. What you’ll hear on To Wait For Fire is old-fashioned Metal, heavily influenced by the likes of Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath: most of the songs are a bit slow, with sharp guitar riffs and interesting solos, thumping basslines, and forceful, articulate vocals delivered in English by Nicholas Leptos. Doom Metal leanings lurk about the edges of nearly every song, but there’s enough energy to keep everything from getting too bogged down in turgidness. The album’s production is a bit rough and gritty (but clear enough), which helps accentuate the music.

To Wait For Fire has some songs that make you wish Diphtheria had been able to make a few more albums instead of only one: tunes like the title track, “Ending Ceremony,” “Behind the Mirror’s Eye,” “As Darkness Casts Its Veil,” and the speedy “Living To Die” smack at epicness. Most of the songs on the album are good, but on the aforementioned ones, it all comes together in fine fashion. Closing track “God Wanted (Apply Here)” works too, with some nice use of pianos and narration.

While the odds are low that Diphtheria will ever record another album, To Wait For Fire is a fine testament to their talent.