Acheron

Keeping an essence of relevance is an important goal for any band to achieve but unfortunately Acheron was left somewhere in 1992 when it was really "controversial” to picture a large breasted woman giving birth to a demon child on an alter watched by black hooded spirits on the front of a record. Cannibal Corpse has been doing it bi-yearly ever since, making it as old as the bible itself in terms of modern media. It is no wonder that these men have been together for 15 years and garnered little interest. The songs are slightly more down tempo than most extreme metal acts and are dominated by an unremitting guitar that has many unusually epic leads, bringing to mind a more sophisticated triad, Hate Eternal. In what seems like a bold move, vocalist Vincent Crowley enunciates every growling syllable, causing laughter and tears when you hear the unbelievably ridiculous lyrics. It is the usual sin this and Satan that approach, coming to a pinnacle on the sixth track with the story of the ancient lie of Nazareth, a painful 40-second reminder that their shtick is almost as old as the religion they condemn. Acheron doesn’t come close to Godhood, Satanic glory or any other powerful position unless you count eating mouthfuls of shit as authoritative.