Customer Reviews

Choronzon

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

AKERCOCKE - Choronzon
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I have to admit I started with their latest album, Words that go Unspoken, Deeds that go Undone, so I was bit pessimistic to check out there back catalogue after hearing such a masterpiece.
Half way into the evil opening track all doubts were laid to rest... After a spine chilling 2 minute intro the track opens to a powerful assault of death metal fury followed by some trademark odd guitar ambiance that made their latest album so amazing. The Seven minute opener sets a relatively high standard for the rest of the album, luckily the rest of the album does not disappoint.
It is difficult to not judge this album in accordance to their latest release but truthfully this clearly demonstrates the progression this band has made in the last few years... Songs like Praise the Name of Satan, Leviathan, and Son of the Morning show the direction this band was heading.

As far as musicianship goes these guys may not be quite to the technical levels of say Nile (But then again, who is?) but they are still very talented. Also what ever they make lack in tech they easily make up in creativity and delivery... And don't get me wrong I'm certainly not slagging their musical abilities...
The Drumming is some of the more unique drumming I've heard in the DM Genre, the Guitar work is both brutal and beautiful, they utilize a lot of strange picking techniques and often layer some light electronic touches to further the dark atmosphere. Not to mention the fantastic solos very creative, yet they fit the songs perfectly. The Bass playing, though buried into the mix, provides a great platform for the other instruments to play off. The Vocals offer more variation in this album then most death metal Vocalist offer in their entire career. In almost every song there is shifting between a guttural growl, a high pitched scream, a strangely appealing awkward singing voice, and a lunatic scream. Especially with Metal it is so important to have a vocalist which can offer a variety of styles and this is a definitive factor in setting these guys apart from countless other bands.

Favorite Songs: Leviathan, Praise the Name of Satan, Son of the Morning and Scapegoat
-4.5 Stars.


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After years of not really getting into these lads, I must say that "Choronzon" was a fine place to start... Mix together black metal blastbeats, Suffocation-style death metal, clean goth-rock vocals and plenty of Hammer Horror movies, and you'll have a wee idea of how cool this is...

It's incredibly well-produced, with some nice low end riffing and cookie monster vocals doing maximum damage to your ears. If you're wanting some high-brow death metal that could very well open the gates of Hell, look no further... Not for everyone, but if you're evil at heart, you'll surely be pleased...

"Choronzon" was my first exposure to Akercocke, and they rapidly became one of my all-time favorite bands. It wasn't long before I owned the rest of their catalog. I was hooked the moment the initial blastbeat after the intro to "Praise The Name Of Satan" kicked in. The dark, addictively melodic "Leviathan" was in my head for months after I first heard it, and "Enraptured By Evil" is one of the sickest metal songs I've ever heard. Another standout is "Becoming the Adversary". It's very difficult to label this band because they use a lot of different sounds. I'll just call them one of the best extreme metal bands in existence.

Few bands can incorporate a wide range of influences without making their music sound random and confused. But Akercocke successfully integrates elements of brutal death and black metal with melody and even some electronic influences ("Son of the Morning" is a good example). Vocalist Jason Mendonca is one of my favorites - few possess his versatility, with the ability to move from guttural, brutal death vocals to acidic, higher pitched black metal screams, and even sing clean vocals well. If I had one little nitpicking criticism, it would be that they didn't need to include so many little instrumentals, but that's a very minor complaint.

I highly recommend this, and also their next two albums.

This marks my first review on Amazon. There are two reasons why I chose to review this cd, the first being that it was the last cd that I purchased and the second being that there aren't many reviews for this cd.

Akercocke are a hard band to pin a genre to. On 'Choronzon' they fuse Black Metal, Death Metal and just plain Metal itself into one sound. Unforntunately for me, these elements do not match up to the best in the subsequent fields. That said, there is some good material on offer here.

'Leviathan' is the standout track for me. The clean vocals and progressive type structure demonstrate the talent and diversity of the band. The guitar riffs on this track are probably the best on the album.

'Enraptured By Evil' and 'Son Of The Morning' are also very good songs. However for me, I get bored very quickly with many of the other tracks. When I listen to the cd I think of other Black Metal or Death Metal bands I could be listening to instead. As i mentioned before, the elements on their own that make up Akercocke's sound do not compare to some of my favourite Black Metal and Death Metal bands. Although you could argue that is what makes Akercocke unique, and I would agree with you. Akercocke are definately unique (just look at their image) but most of the songs on 'Choronzon' are pretty standard.

The Musicianship displayed on 'Choronzon' is one of the best aspects of the cd. The guitar solos are fast and plentiful. Some of the solo sections actually remind me of Slayer. The Drums provided by David Gray are well done, although with the occasional sloppy fill, but hey thats not unusual in metal drumming. The blast beats are extremly quick and there are some intersting grooves thrown in for good measure. The bass on average is not very audiable, another common aspect in metal, and mostly chugs along with the guitar (with an exception to this found in 'Becoming The Adversary' for example). Jason Mendonca's vocals are quite versitile. They range from gutteral grunts to piercing screeches to clean vocals. The Death Metal vocals have to be some the most indistinguishable vocals i have ever heard. I had an extreme amount of trouble trying to follow the lyrics with the vocals. They do work well in some cases, but not so well in others

To me 'Chronozon' is an above average Metal album. This is my first Akercocke cd and i am yet to hear any other releases, although I am told that 'Goat of Mendes' is a better album but I cannot confirm nor deny that fact. There is definately some good elements on offer here, and I am intrigued enough to want to sample some of Akercocke's other work. Recommended for fans of Black Metal and Death Metal.

this is seriously one of the coolest metal cds i have ever listened to. it is just so impressive. the drumming is absolutely amazing. the singing is so dynamic, ranging from high pitched shrieks to incomprehensible gutteral moans. everything about this cd blew my mind. this is what metal music is all about. its so fresh and expiremental. it doesnt get old if you listen to it more than once. the production is great and the music sounds beatiful and clear. i just love this cd. it is my favorite metal cd since candiria's 300 percent density.

I feel like I really got my money's worth on this cd. This band covers so much ground that to listen to just one track would not give you a true representation of their sound. It never gets boring, these guys use elements of black metal, death metal, industrial, classical music, and other stuff I can't ever put a name to. Whenever I put it on, I have to listen to the whole thing to conclusion. I only gave it 4 stars however, because this type of band can sometimes be accused of being unfocused and unsure of the direction they want to go. But they're just so good at everything, I don't care. The vocalist can do high, screeching black metal, gutteral death metal, and can even do clean singing fairly well. Best way to describe this disc: it sounds like you have a 6 cd changer shuffling Dying Fetus, Dark Funeral, Rush, some new age cd, a classical disc, and an industial band at random.

This really is an example of experimentation. This is a combination of black metal, death metal, industrial, and even nu metal!!!!! (yes I did say nu metal!) Before you go nuts at me for saying that, it's primarily a death metal band, but they have alot of influence from other genres. The singer is diverse in his tone kind of reminds me of isanhan but he doesn't sing enough. best songs on the cd are 1, 3 , 4 and 11