Acherontas - Vamachara (2011)^{Release ID: 5779}

Of the many black metal bands from Greece, few have the variation from that traditional warm and hellenic sound that the region is famed for.  The many sides of Acherontas are displayed throughout most of their discography but it is on album number three that this diversification really shines through.  For all the recognisable BM on display here there is a fair old portion of mantra-laden, ritualistic experimentation also.  The album opens up with such a passage and revisits the theme later on the superbly crafted 'Ohm Krim Kali'.

The album clocks in at a neat 45 mins and this feels just right for the listener to absorb the brilliance on display here.  Some later releases by the band push to over an hour in length and struggle sometimes to keep momentum I feel, but 'Vamachara' is that perfect combination of a honed and established sound coupled with a run time that compliments the saturation requirement of the album.

The atmosphere and experimentation shown on this record got ramped up on future releases, but what you get here that is a little lacking on the future full lengths is catchy riffs and an obvious heavy metal influence ('Drakonian Womb').  The brooding atmosphere here serves like some pre-eruption of volcanic proportions in terms of the creativity to come on later releases.  On the whole you have some confident, exciting and stylish riffing built into some steady, stable and consistent levels of songwriting.  The content may vary but the aptitude is unwavering.