DIORAMA CUBED ALBUM ACCESSION RELEASE: MARCH 19, 2010 REVIEW: APRIL 28, 2010

Diorama, German frontrunner of the darkwave genre, have re-joined forces after a period where band member Felix Marc has released his first solo album and worked quite frenetically with Vasi Vallis under the Frozen Plasma moniker. "Cubed" follows the dramatic 2007 piece "A Different Life" and main man Torben Wendt has undoubtedly maintained his bushy escapist skills.

The gloom of Diorama still weighs heavily on their dynamically built compositions and Wendt's low pitch crooning shatters all possible feelings of hope. The darkness is what make Diorama stand out and they always balance this out with warm melodies, clever choruses and strong vocal harmonies. "Cubed" is no exception. In fact, it's sometimes hard to tell one song apart from another. The similarities between tracks are quite nagging, but the album never even gets close to becoming boring.

Diorama do on "Cubed" what Diorama have always done and do best. I'm not sure the concept will hold up forever, though.

NIKLAS FORSBERG