Another borrowed album from a work-friend, one of the first I really enjoyed and wandered off to buy at JB HiFi.
Akercocke are described as "blackened death metal", which means they use elements of both black and death metal, but to pin Akercocke down to a single style is to deny them what makes them great.
In a single Akercocke song you might hear acoustic finger picking with clean vocals, death metal growls or 80s goth balladry, always played fast.
The best examples of their range can be heard in the songs "Axiom" and "The Dark Inside".
In re-listening, something I haven't done for a while, I found the songs which stuck to a single style the least interesting. I also found the clean vocals a little rough, especially when they're the focus of the song. Reports are that the clean vocals are generally terrible live, although the rest of the music is played very well.
This album, along with others by Nachtmystium and Keep Of Kalessin restored my faith in black and death metal, showing it can be melodic, and interesting. I'd put this very high on a list of albums to play to someone who was ready...
It's a pity this was Akercocke's final album, although the members have gone on to form other bands that I'm told are worth checking out.
7/10
