Band:	Akercocke
Album:	Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone
Style:	Progressive death metal
Release date:	October 2005

01. Verdelet
02. Seduced
03. Shelter From The Sand
04. Eyes Of Dawn
05. Abbadonna, Dying In The Sun
06. Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone
07. Intractable
08. Seraphs And Silence
09. The Penance
10. Lex Talionis

With the enhanced version of this release fans are treated to a free DVD disc, the contents of which are an absurd interview conducted by a mock-Italian metal head who apparently was "the first on the scene."

As the DVD progresses, one realizes that Akercocke are a band with an immense sense of humor; a band who are comfortable with what they are.

At some point during this "interview" our reporter states quite clearly that "No one knows the Satan like Akercocke." No album by this band has convinced me so much of this fact than their latest: "Words that go Unspoken, Deeds that go Undone."

From the album artwork even, one can tell that there is a sinister presence lurking beneath the band's mindset. It is dark and it is lonely. There is a figure standing tall in the shadows, seemingly relaxed in his ominous manner.

The music of course is the main thing, and from the onset of the first track, you get the distinct impression that the band knows something you don't. Indeed, this is the beauty of darkness, of evil, and their passion for expressing it. This album, like its predecessors, is a no-holds-barred portrayal of love for the lack of light in the world and in humanity.

Track one sets the stage, the mysteriously titled "Verdelet." There is no mistake made in the opening seconds that this band means business. They effortlessly leap straight into the grinding death metal, portraying a sound somewhat similar to an army-tank rolling backwards down a hill. The assault of both bass and subtle melody is profound in that they manage to pull it of in each song on the album there after.

And to save falling victim to a "track by track" account of this master piece I shall move swiftly on to the third track, beautifully titled "Shelter from the Sand." It is perhaps the most experimental song to come from the band since "Leviathan." This track seems effective in summing up the entire remainder of the album in that it is the pinnacle of their inspired sound so far. So, where Choronzon's "Leviathan" experimented with the creativity and the possibility of lyrical meaning, "Shelter from the Sand" delves straight into the world of sound, taking no prisoners at it crosses the frontiers of what metal fans have heard in the past.

To me, the remainder of this album comes across very Dante-esque. Indeed, from the onset one gets the full meaning of purgatory pumped into their ear canals so that it may form desolate images deep within the subconscious. On the other hand the personal nature of lyrics is profound: "This town is afraid of me, and with good reason" sings the haunting voice of a haunted man.

The difference between Akercocke and all those other "Satanic" bands is that they shake off the plastic, cloven hoof silliness of LaVey's followers in red capes and Halloween horns, and adopt an almost woeful, romantic approach to their God.

If you like your music to sound like twilight, the dead of night when all the birds have gone to sleep, and the only sound you hear is that of your own heartbeat then Akercocke's fourth album is for you.