ACHERON - RITES OF THE BLACK MASS (1992)

Scouring the 'Comments' sections recently for any hint of praise or affirmation, I noticed a brief mention of Satanic Floridian death metallers Acheron, made by Brother RyGar from (NK)INW. "Oh shit!" I thought to myself, "I've never posted Acheron on IC! Where are my manners?"
Fortunately, the situation has now been rectified. Acheron is fronted by (former) Church of Satan Reverend Vincent Crowley, and interbred with bands like Nocturnus, Morbid Angel, Death, and Incantation back in the day. Mike Browning did a stint with Acheron, as did Richard Christy and porn-mag publisher Vincent Breeding. They are indeed another red-headed stepchild of the Tampa death metal scene, though they relocated to Columbus, Ohio (hence the Incantation connection) later in their career. But Acheron's music doesn't quite fit in with the polished, technical shreddery their colleagues are so fond of.
Rites of the Black Mass was their first official full-length, and finds the band purveying a raw, gritty, simple brand of metal more in the vein of Nunslaughter or Blasphemy. It can be a tough listen, though, as every single song is prefaced by an organ-and-pitch-shifted-voice intro that, when they are all pieced together, equal an entire Black Mass. These pieces were recorded by Church of Satan member Pete Gilmore, and are seen by many as a nuisance, interrupting an otherwise straightforward and brutal metal album (see also: Resurrection). But you know me. I love that kind of shit.

Acheron has been around since approximately 1988, but recently announced that their last show EVER will be on January 1, 2011. Who wants to go?

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All of Gilmore's Satanic intros in one handy video! Check out that winning smile:



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