Whilst Vincent Crowley may have resigned from the Church of Satan, that should not be taken as a sign that he is any less committed or wavering in his beliefs, and he has continued to spread the word through the music of Acheron. But for a 6 month break up spell in 2010, Acheron have been active for nigh on a quarter of a century with their no-frills take on blackened death, and whilst ’Kult des Hasses’ represents their first album since the split, (if you could really call it such), it finds them in spellbindingly evil form with a release that is as sharp as anything they have given us over the years.
Long term fans of Acheron will know that stability in the line-up is something that they have never really managed to achieve, and on this occasion alongside Crowley we have Incantation’s Kyle Severn back on drums and a new guitar pairing of Art Taylor on rhythm and Ricktor Ravensbrück on lead, although he is merely credited with a guest role so one must assume that he is not part of the official line up at this time. That’s something they might want to look at because there is a really good band chemistry with this line up and the band sound in fresh and inventive form without ever veering too dangerously towards overt pretentiousness or technical wankery. A case in point is opening track ‘Daemonium Lux’, an 8 minute beast of a track that switches between plodding doom, standard heavy metal and blasting black death in varying measures, continually keeping you guessing as you are dragged through the mire then mercilessly beaten, it’s a perfect lesson in keeping things interesting without overstepping the mark. It is the straight up annihilation of ‘Satan Holds Dominion’ that really catches my attention though, with its neck snapping violence and Crowley’s vocal at its most potent and aggressive, it’s a track to make you throw the horns in the air and shout along with it.
There is a distinct retro feel about a lot of this album, in a late 80’s and early 90’s style of death metal, with the structure and guitar interplay of ‘Raptured to Divine Perversion’ having a very familiar and welcome sound about it, (well, welcome to an old school purist like myself anyway). Crowley’s vocals are varied if within a certain comfort zone, with a voice that comes across as a mixture of the raw aggression of Johan Liiva mixed with the snarling growling spite of Chris Reifert. Acheron now even have their own drinking song, although as you would expect it is adequately themed. ‘Devil’s Black Blood’ is an ode to the joys of Jaegermeister, the drink with which they toast the crowd at the end of live shows, and being a fan of the stuff myself I’d say it’s about time it had a song about it! Thundering along in a black and roll style, they do it justice with a swaggering salute.
It’s been a long time, but the return of Acheron is more than welcome and is a triumph in all respects. Keeping things pared back to a basic level without getting too primitive or minimalist has paid off enormously, and the result is an album packed with aggressive, punchy and powerful tracks that are catchy enough to stay with you and keep you coming back time and time again for repeated listens. Too many bands overdo the technical side of things, both musically and in the production, and while there is a place for that it is often so overwhelming that it bypasses the basic reason we love music in the first place, pure enjoyment. Great stuff!
(8.5/10 Lee Kimber)
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