Acantha

A little bit of Canadian content in the death metal world is never a bad thing, but it's a little bit strange to hear it come out of Edmonton instead of Quebec. Acantha's debut, Eternal Punishment, may not be the most forward-thinking death metal album to emerge from western Canada but it's still an interesting listen. With death metal influences stemming from across the board, listeners will pick up on anything from old Death riffage to plucky Atheist bass parts. Sadly, picking up on everything else is quite a challenge. It isn't fair to chide a new band for poor production but unfortunately the bad quality of the recording takes away from the powerful technical ability and overall brutality of the final product. Ignoring the difficult listening experience of the record, Acantha should hopefully build upon this solid base and be able to budget for a better display of their skill in the future.