Long running black/death metal band Acheron recently announced they will be ceasing activity on January 1st, 2011. Lead by former Church of Satan reverend Vincent Crowley (bass, vocals), the band has been in existence for for 22 years, yet never seemed to fully get their due as one of the stalwart pioneers of extreme metal in the US. Acheron has released 5 full length albums as well as a covers collection and numerous EPs and compilations over the course of their career. The band will wind things down with a series of farewell shows focusing on their first album, Rites of the Black Mass.
It’s always a shame to see one of the metal world’s elder bands call it a day, but Acheron are certainly going out on a high note with their final full length, The Final Conflict: Last Days of God. In fact, it is surprising to hear that Crowley plans to pack it in after releasing such an accomplished album. Perhaps he has a new project up his sleeve? Only time will tell, but at least we have The Final Conflict to listen to in the meantime…
The album is front-to-back oldschool death metal of the slightly blackened variety that generally sticks to a hefty, mid-paced crush. There are tons of killer leads and solos throughout The Final Conflict, and the riffs are appropriately crunchy and memorable, making the 666-string damage inflicted by the duo of Max Otworth and Ash Thomas the undeniable focal point. The drums were provided by Kyle Severn of Incantation fame and although they’re nothing flashy, they do provide a strong rhythmic bedrock for the aforementioned shred-work.
Crowley’s vocals are way up front in the mix, and although they can be a bit overpowering at times, it is cool to actually be able to discern what he’s singing about. Lyrics such as “Even in their holy books they knew there’d be a day / For an apocalypse to wash their gods away” are spat forth with venom and clarity, as well as a sense of urgency that modern extreme metal vocals often lack. The Final Conflict is a concept album about the the ultimate downfall of the of the 3 Abrahamic religions, it’s just too bad that Acheron won’t be around to see it.
All in all, The Final Conflict: Last Days of God is a fitting epitaph for Acheron, and well worth a listen for both long time followers and those that somehow missed the boat.
THKD 