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Acherontas - Vamachara Review
by Matt Hensch
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Dark, ritualistic art from the nihilist void of Greece's netherworld; not that you'd expect the Greeks to screw up black metal, right? Acherontas comes from the charred remains of Stutthof and they've made quite a name for themselves in the metal underground with their sinister torches of Satan's black flame burning above a moonless gathering of dark souls and chanting robes. "Vamachara" conjures such imagery through its mythical essence of curses, providing concrete proof that Acherontas knows just how to ram the basic idea of black metal head on and reenergize it with excellent songwriting and pristine musicianship of a ghoulish tint. Their efforts during the seven-track escapade stay remarkably consistent and bold, a feat accomplished by only a handful of their counterparts.Chances are you'll know the ins and outs of "Vamachara" with little effort if black metal reigns in the corridors of your soul. Most of Acherontas' antics are fairly basic, with a lot of tremolo picking, blast beats, shrieks, haunting mid-tempo stuff, and the occasional display of lead guitar all on display here. They emerge from the herd because the riffs and leads are dashingly powerful and atmospheric, and the transitions provided throughout monster songs like "Beyond the Mazeways to Ophidian Gnosis" strike like a cobra's bite. The group's songwriting manages to remain very consistent and mighty, a testament proved quite diligently during the epic "Drakonian Womb" and the various instrumental testaments it gives. Overall, a very dark and baleful offering that has a degree of accessibility to it for the experienced tongues of black metal. As the album starts, they waste no time engaging the norms of black metal with accurate guile, as the monstrous assault of blackened mayhem that is "Blood Current Illumination" takes the listener on a whirlwind of sheer debauchery. Sometimes the material seems like it could be blending together; it's not that big of a deal, yet there's a noticeable measure of ideas seemingly leeching off one another. Overall though, "Vamachara" offers something sensational in the world of dark art. Granted, there're not doing much to truly progress the soul of black metal, yet Acherontas doesn't attempt to and "Vamachara" was certainly not geared for such a gigantic task. Instead, it acts as a stellar vessel between Acherontas' diabolical intentions and the peaked ability of songwriters dwelling in their devilish prime.
Acherontas - Vamachara Rating:8.0
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