Artist: Akercocke
Country: United Kingdom
Label: Earache Records
Formats: CD
Year: 2003
Due to the great hype around this band I think most of the people know about this band. From their first release “Rape Of The Bastard Nazarene” album in 1999 they displayed an exceptional band with an own sound, concept and ideas. They confirmed that with their follow-up “Goat Of Mendes” in 2001. And with this third album they just continue their adventures in satanic occult eroticism.
The things that marked their previous albums are drawn further up the spiral of professionalism. A splendid mixture of black, (brutal) death, thrash, touches of doom and avant-garde metal. This time with an even better production than their predecessors, not that strange if you consider the works on Neil Kernon (Cannibal Corpse, Deicide and Exhumed to name a few). This all brings the CD to great lonely heights, quite a few bands know how to combine so many influences into one solid ball of extreme metal. Ranging from the Dying Fetus-esque deathmetal with the deep guttural vocals to the more blackmetal screams and squeals. And everything in between the genres. The CD opens with a filthy ‘Hammer House of Horror’-sample (well, at least, I presume) and blasts into the first song “Praise The Name Of Satan”, which is quite blackmetal. Which cannot be said for the second track “Prince Of The North” which sounds more grindcored and deathmetalled than the track before. And this change between those two tracks marks the whole intention of the CD, a hell of a varied CD! Because of the variation, the avant-garde and the difference in singing (yeah, even clean vocals here!) this CD will never bore you.
So, if you are not yet familiar with the band, than you are right! This is not your average band. Most of the times I’m not that fond of hypes within the metal genre, but I guess this time it is highly justified. All hail the bastard nazarenes: Akercocke.
