ACHERON

Thanks to the way the music industry works these days, just about everything will get re-released eventually. This is not always a good thing, as mediocre records can easily be repackaged to seem more important now than they ever were first time around. But every now and then, some astute underground label gets their hands on an authentic piece of metal history. From a purely death metal perspective, few records are more deserving of the lavish, anniversary treatment than this one.

"Rites Of The Black Mass" was first released in 1992, a few years after former NOCTURNUS guitarist Vincent Crowley formed ACHERON as a means to express his avowedly Satanic sensibilities and passion for the then flourishing death metal scene. For those who know, this is as cult and as classic as it gets. A true musical ritual, with ten utterly badass songs and ten interstitial, instrumental pieces gluing them together, "Rites…" arrived slightly too late to be regarded as the equal of pioneering milestones like MORBID ANGEL's "Altar Of Madness", DEATH's "Leprosy", or the first DEICIDE album, but 33 years later, this comprehensive rebirth confirms what connoisseurs have long acknowledged: that this is one of the unholy crown jewels of death metal's early development. Newly remastered and bolstered by the original ten-song demo (also remastered!) that Crowley recorded a year earlier, this is an unassailable, seminal classic, presented with the care and respect that it clearly deserves.

Not everybody was enamored with ACHERON's debut back in 1992. Often criticized for its primitive sonic values, and particularly for its multiple, ambient interludes, "Rites Of The Black Mass" lacked the backing of a big label and the press acclaim that goes with it. But listening to this newly enhanced version three decades on, it seems ridiculous that this has languished in obscurity for so long. Crowley was only 25 when it was recorded, but his songwriting and overall charisma were way ahead of the curve. ACHERON adhered to a ruthlessly straightforward compositional code, with no need for 30 riffs per song or any extraneous, technical showboating. Instead, every one of these songs resounds with malicious intent and a gruff, guttural catchiness that has seldom been surpassed since. From the rapacious, quickfire blasphemy of "To Thee We Confess", and the seething ritual of "Thou Art Lord", to the mystic threats of "The Enochian Key" and closer "Let Us Depart", these songs are almost magical in their eerie but hostile simplicity. Some bands talked the talk about Lucifer, but "Rites Of The Black Mass" was authentically Satanic as fuck, with an atmosphere that has survived intact and now seems more potent than ever. Crowley's vocals are barbarous but crisply executed, and lead guitarist Peter Slate (now in DRUID LORD) seems utterly incapable of delivering a misfiring solo. The whole infernal enterprise has never sounded this good before, and it already sounded fucking spectacular. Old-school death metal, direct from Hell: crank it up and believe.

Meanwhile, as you have your brain rearranged by the Devil's fury, this new, definitive edition has plenty of additional goodies to clutter up your shrine to the dark side. The double-LP version includes the remastered album and 1991 demo on vinyl with an eight-page booklet and a 24" x 24" poster, while the Kenyon Records exclusive box set boasts a heavyweight vinyl of the album, signed by all three original members of the band, a woven patch, a "Rites Of The Black Mass" slipmat, and a full color T-shirt featuring the original artwork. Some excellent liner notes, written by noted death metal maven David E. Gehlke, ensure that this is as educational as it is entertaining. And if all of that is still not enough to pique your interest, there will soon be a new video for "Thou Art Lord" gleefully infecting the online world. The old school is still the best school, and ACHERON's contribution to our beloved death metal realm cannot be overstated. Hail Satan.