Band:	Akercocke
Album:	Antichrist
Style:	Progressive death metal
Release date:	May 28, 2007
Guest review by:	Silent Creeper

01. Black Messiah
02. Summon The Antichrist
03. Axiom
04. The Promise
05. My Apterous Angel
06. Distant Fires Reflect In The Eyes Of Satan
07. Man Without Faith Or Trust
08. The Dark Inside
09. Footsteps Resound In An Empty Chapel
10. Epode
11. Chapel Of Ghouls [Morbid Angel cover] [bonus]
12. Leprosy [Death cover] [bonus]

Akercocke's previous album "Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone", was probably the very peak in the band's career and the band was in front of very difficult task, while making new album Antichrist, to make it at least near that good than it was the latest one. So, did they succeed?

The shortest answer is: Yes, they did. Even though Antichrist is probably not such a masterpiece that album Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone was, it is very good follower. In my opinion the most important thing is that Akercocke did not just "copy" sound from its successful predecessor but again added some new touches in development of their music. They still have very unique sound, some sort of mix between Progressive, Brutal Death and Black Metal. This is also the main reason why the album never becomes too repetitive or even boring.

Of course the main theme on this album is again Satanism. But Akercocke one more time proves that they are not just some regular "primitive" satanic band, but a very sophisticated and original one. The thing that gives album this "satanic" or even "horrific" feel are those dark atmospheric and strange talking parts within songs, which often gives a feeling like they would have been "backmasked" or they would have been some sort of subliminal messages, and is really difficult to define the recordings of what these parts really are, even if you listen to them very precisely.

Performance of the whole band is perfect as we are used too, but again it is Jason Mendonca who stands out a bit, especially in the vocal duties. He shows once again that he is one of the best vocalists out there; he has extremely wide vocal range and is amazing not only at growling parts, but at clean vocal parts too. Clean vocals are also one of the most important factors in making album more progressive because they are some sort of bridge between faster and slower parts of the songs. He also makes fast rhythm changes much more smoother. Otherwise none of the songs stand out in particular way, the whole album works more like one totality, so it is the best thing to listen it as whole, not only just a few songs.

If you liked Akercocke's previous releases or you are looking for something that stands out a bit from satanic "cliché" metal scene, then Antichrist is definitely album you should check out.