Better late than never, right? That’s what Cheech said in one of the Ghostbusters movies anyway, and he seems to be a reputable character, so I’m going with it. The subject of this review, Acheron‘s 2009 release entitled The Final Conflict: Last Days of God, saw the dark of night via Displeased and Ibex Moon Records, and it’s certainly no pleasant walk in the park. Rumbling, semi-lo-fi aggression fills these 11 tracks, which are often as groove-laden and rocking as they are harsh.

Acheron‘s storied history includes lots of releases, dating back 20 years, and lots of dudes who’ve spent time in big-name metal juggernauts like Incantation, Angelcorpse and Death, among others. The name Acheron itself describes a Greek river which, according to mythology, spews into Hades. How unabashedly metal! (Sorta brings to mind Naglfar, named for a ship made of dead men’s finger- and toenails, although that’s Norse and a completely different subject altogether.) But enough of this filler shit, and onto the subject of the review.

The Final Conflict chronicles the fall of organized religion and the rise of heathenism, a topic not foreign to death metal, and one that’s still interesting if it’s got the right story. Acheron have played it out in a fairly straightforward fashion, using an almost doomy death-groove to get their point across. With a slightly muddled sound and solid underground vibe, tracks like “Rise of Rebellion” and “Power and Might” get heads banging, while others, such as “Salvation Through Hatred” and “Blood Oath,” get the blood heated to a gooey froth. The occasional demonic guitar interlude and satanic wording — “In my blood I sign this pact for the fucking world to see” — cement The Final Conflict: Last Days of God as a bad-ass, bone-crushing example of heavy metal heft.

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