Akercocke from England are by far the best dressed men in the metal bussiness, and as a trademark their fashion statement is highly effective. But more important than image is of course the music and Choronzon is even more impressive than tailor made suits. This is among the strangest cd`s I`ve ever heard. Is it black metal? Could it be death metal? Or is it grindcore? It’s certainly not something you hear everyday.

Choronzon starts of with an intro of some dark rituals performed by satanic priest blasting into a symphonic black metal piece. This quickly turns into a grinding death metal composition of absolute quality. Then the cd rages on and on and every track shows more diversity and originality then the one before. Guttural grunts are followed by hellish screams only to be followed up by desperate clean singing. Morbid Angel solo`s make way for keyboard soundscapes and although the combination sounds ridiculous on paper or on a computer screen, everything sounds logical and fitting.

The tracks are very diverse but the whole cd has a remarkable coherent feeling to it. The production is very good although I think the vocals are too deep in the mix. This is of course a matter of taste but if you have such a strong vocalist as Jason Mendonca you have to give him the spotlight he deserves. As this is about the only negative thing I can say about Choronzon I think we can safely say this is a masterpiece and will become a classic.

This is one of those cd`s that grows on you and after a 2 week extensive listening period I still discover new sounds and patterns but watch out! As Jason Mendonca states: “Choronzon is the guardian of the abyss. With the tirade of pure sonic evil that we have recorded, we shall perhaps summon him and unleash hell.” Don`t say I didn`t warn you.
Akercocke website