Album Review: Vincent Crowley – Beyond Acheron (Odium Records)

After 30 years of fronting black/death metal underground veterans Acheron, lead vocalist Vincent Crowley is pursuing a solo career. This new musical entity veers to a different dark and macabre path, being influenced by all kinds of metal genres.

Beyond Acheron is a conceptional album that climbs through the ladder of death. From beginning to end it takes the listener on a ghastly journey with sombre tales of doom, casting a Poe-esque shadow. The album is set to be released on June 10th, 2021 via Odium Records.

This isn’t Acheron, the traditional heavy metal touches will make that clear, but for those familiar with the blackened death legends there are similarities that will help make you feel at home. The most prominent being the scowling and growling vocals of one Vincent Crowley, who sounds possessed. Age is not slowing him down and aside from some killer riffs, his voice is the star here.

An absorbing concept, Beyond Acheron drips in darkened vibes. Portraying the misery and abject tales through the medium of blackened death with heavy, doomy and thrashy speed influences. It’s a hodgepodge of genres with the dominant force being that it is simply a hefty head-banger. Tons of riffs, solos to lift the spirits and heavy metal groove. What more could you ask for?

Every track sounds and feels like a tome. Each track bears such weight, that it slowly begins to pulverise the bones to dust. The gloomy and sombre tone is ever present, like a thick and bulging vein running through everything. It might only be six tracks long (eight if you include an intro and outro) but there’s no short-changing here. Vincent Crowley brings the darkness in buckets and there’s no avoiding being drenched by their liberal tossing here.

Vincent Crowley – Beyond Acheron Full Track Listing:

1. Intro: Beyond Acheron
2. Where No Light Shines
3. My Eternal Vow
4. La Muerte
5. Bring Forth the Dead
6. Masquerade du Macabre
7. Farewell (At Death’s Door)
8. Outro

Links

Bandcamp | Facebook | Odium Records