Acheron

One of Ohio's ― let alone North America's ― more confrontational anti-Christian/Satanic acts, black metal trio Acheron finally get around to releasing some new material after bassist Vincent Crowley rediscovered his love of bowel-propelled screams and redlining distortion. Spending much of the past few years debating with televangelists and running around the Church of Satan hasn't dulled his chops though. He's still full of contempt for organized religion and able to wring out thick, abrasive guitar lines and double-time beats to counter his, well, thick, abrasive vocal lines on tracks such as "I Am Heathen" and "Rise Of Rebellion." As for The Final Conflict, much of the album unites a Pleasure To Kill-era Kreator's scrappiness with Obituary's low-end impetus and Behemoth-esque tinges to create music that's actually closer to death metal than black, subject matter notwithstanding. Foregoing classifications though, The Final Conflict: Last Days Of God might be rather caustic, but that's what makes for great, instinctual metal.