Acheron "Rites Of The Black Mass" Pro-Tape

These guys look like a hair metal band, but they play crushing early blackened death metal?
Who the heck is JL America/Turbo Records anyhow?
My first impressions of this one by Florida's Satanic death metal masters Acheron.
There are several things which make this album uncomfortable to most modern death metal fans. Beyond the above sentiments, of course. First, and probably chief of these, are the intros by Peter H Gilmore. All synergy with the Church of Satan aside. These scattered bits of ambience by Gilmore are, more or less, there to set the tone of the concept. Not a difficult concept. An actual - CoS approved - black mass set to record.
Acheron represents in this, an early blackened death metal band writing anthems reiterating the concepts of the ambient portions. Tuning and defining them further.
When I got this album back in 1994 it was entirely different. Sure you had bands like Possessed, and the Norweigan black metal scene at this point had sort of run its course. Though none of the bands that preceeded Acheron had done the devil's music with so much honesty.
Perhaps the second blow for Acheron. Nothing here is built on pure fantasy. Sure it sounds a lot like Deicide in many respects. Deicide pulled lyrical concept from movies like Evil Dead *"Dead By Dawn"*. Most other bands at the time tried not to come off as being preachers. Even within the extreme metal genres. Acheron, on the otherhand, ARE here to be preachers. This is as close to a Satanic gospel record as there is out there.
This concept is a bit difficult for the more "mainstream", heavily christianized conscience of the death metal crowd. This is true as much in those times, as it is today. Acheron's "Rites Of The Black Mass" finds itself more at home among fans of black metal than death metal for that reason as well.
The openly Satanic stance, made all the more punctualized by Crowley's involvement in the CoS. The dirty guitars. Which seem to be almost formless, untill the bass and drums shape them into a chaotic, at times droning, frenzy. The Deicide style vocal. Most notable on tracks such as "Ave Satanas" and "Thou Art Lord". Topped off with a dirty production that isn't the worst out there, but dirty nonetheless.
The schtick here works almost like b-grade horror. Which is to say, something that's so inherently wrong about the proceedure gives it its own unique attractiveness.
From the opening moments of the first intro, to the closing final notes of "Let Us Depart" this album stands and falls on its own merits. Though it's never boring. Unlike many of their peers, and indeed unlike the albums which would follow this one.
When the pinnacle of a bands career is the first album, perhaps that's a hard sell. Though, this deserves attention, as well as praise.
Any one of these things may be a detractor for other bands. Here, they are all working together to form a cohesive voice for Acheron. Something that is missing on the later albums. It personally retains the same kind of death metal mastery that Deicide's early work did. Highly worth the price to seek it out, or find it for download it before you buy it. Either way, a great work that's sure to get under your skin - for better and for worse.

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