Search - Akercocke :: Choronzon

Praise the Name of Akercocke!

Sunshine the Werewolf | Canada | 03/13/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"AKERCOCKE - Choronzon

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I have to admit I started with their latest album, Words that go Unspoken, Deeds that go Undone, so I was bit pessimistic to check out there back catalogue after hearing such a masterpiece.

Half way into the evil opening track all doubts were laid to rest... After a spine chilling 2 minute intro the track opens to a powerful assault of death metal fury followed by some trademark odd guitar ambiance that made their latest album so amazing. The Seven minute opener sets a relatively high standard for the rest of the album, luckily the rest of the album does not disappoint.

It is difficult to not judge this album in accordance to their latest release but truthfully this clearly demonstrates the progression this band has made in the last few years... Songs like Praise the Name of Satan, Leviathan, and Son of the Morning show the direction this band was heading.



As far as musicianship goes these guys may not be quite to the technical levels of say Nile (But then again, who is?) but they are still very talented. Also what ever they make lack in tech they easily make up in creativity and delivery... And don't get me wrong I'm certainly not slagging their musical abilities...

The Drumming is some of the more unique drumming I've heard in the DM Genre, the Guitar work is both brutal and beautiful, they utilize a lot of strange picking techniques and often layer some light electronic touches to further the dark atmosphere. Not to mention the fantastic solos very creative, yet they fit the songs perfectly. The Bass playing, though buried into the mix, provides a great platform for the other instruments to play off. The Vocals offer more variation in this album then most death metal Vocalist offer in their entire career. In almost every song there is shifting between a guttural growl, a high pitched scream, a strangely appealing awkward singing voice, and a lunatic scream. Especially with Metal it is so important to have a vocalist which can offer a variety of styles and this is a definitive factor in setting these guys apart from countless other bands.



Favorite Songs: Leviathan, Praise the Name of Satan, Son of the Morning and Scapegoat

-4.5 Stars.





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One of my favorites

ShadesOfGray | Detroit, MI USA | 02/22/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Choronzon" was my first exposure to Akercocke, and they rapidly became one of my all-time favorite bands. It wasn't long before I owned the rest of their catalog. I was hooked the moment the initial blastbeat after the intro to "Praise The Name Of Satan" kicked in. The dark, addictively melodic "Leviathan" was in my head for months after I first heard it, and "Enraptured By Evil" is one of the sickest metal songs I've ever heard. Another standout is "Becoming the Adversary". It's very difficult to label this band because they use a lot of different sounds. I'll just call them one of the best extreme metal bands in existence.



Few bands can incorporate a wide range of influences without making their music sound random and confused. But Akercocke successfully integrates elements of brutal death and black metal with melody and even some electronic influences ("Son of the Morning" is a good example). Vocalist Jason Mendonca is one of my favorites - few possess his versatility, with the ability to move from guttural, brutal death vocals to acidic, higher pitched black metal screams, and even sing clean vocals well. If I had one little nitpicking criticism, it would be that they didn't need to include so many little instrumentals, but that's a very minor complaint.



I highly recommend this, and also their next two albums."