Acherontas are a project from Greece, once formed as Worship by a guy called V. P. AcherontaSS. After a short while, Worship became Stutthof, and finally the project continued under the current moniker. The last ‘huge’ recording Acherontas did was the Agonia-release Vamachara, which got released at the very end of 2011 (for the review: see the update of February 11th 2012 within the Archives-section); and it surely was one of my favourite albums that very same year. In mean time there were two new splits as well, one with Crimson Moon, Akrabu and Shibalba (Ana Harrani Sa Alaktasa La Tarat) (fyi: these are projects some Acherontas-members are involved with), and one with American Nightbringer (called The Ruins Of Edom) (both splits were released in 2012). Nightbringer’s Naas Alcameth (also known from e.g. Bestia Arcana, Serpentinam or Temple Of Not), by the way, is one of the guest musicians on Amenti, besides Jhon Longshaw (Black Seas Of Infinity; he contributed as lyricist), Edgar Kerval (the guy behind projects like The Red Angle, Nox 210 and Emme Ya) and Henrik Möller of Puissance / Arditi-fame.
The line-up on this album, à propos, consists of international members (and I’m not referring to the guest musicians only) with an enormous curriculum metallum vitae. Scorpios is known from his solo-outfit Akrabu, as well as Crimson Moon, Sabnack, Possession Ritual, Dethroned and so on; lyricist Tiphareth also works with Shibalba, a project V.P. Acherontass is involved with too; Saevus used to play in Dodsferd and Nargathrond and is currently in Devathorn and Warbled Arma; and drummer Gionella ‘Thorns’ Potenti is and/or was active in an endless list of notorious Italian acts, such as Macabre Omen, Manetheren, Benighted In Sodom, Glorior Belli, Fuck Off And Die!, Handful Of Hate and many, many more. Session bass player on this album, Alephalos, finally, is known from acts like Cthonic Aura, Wargoat, War Possession and Embrace Of Thorns.
Our beloved World Terror Committee (W.T.C. Records) releases the fourth Acherontas full length, which is a monumental nine-tracker in the vein of the glorious past. Amenti (Ψαλμοι Αιματος & Αστρικα Οραματα) comes with an atmosphere that is not that bizarre for a Greek project: ritualistic, mystic, occult and esoteric. But at the same time, Acherontas focus on a Nordic-inspired brilliance and elegance, for spawning the magnificent hymns in a purest form of misanthropic rawness, primal nihilism and apocalyptic grimness. It’s a sonic expression of sulphur, an aural definition of Post-Apocalyptic delusions.
Add, on top of it, the huge variation in speed, the shamanistic or ritual excerpts (with Middle Eastern influences!), a handful of industrial elements (soundscapes of Armageddon and nuclear fires included), haunting piano tunes and eerie keyboard lines, and a sound so suffocative and foggy, and experience a morbid trip through dimensions from beyond. …deep beyond…