Review Summary: black metal of the highest caliber
Acherontas and Drowning The Light are two bands that were seemingly destined to be featured on a split together. As kindred spirits, these two groups revel in their exemplification of black metal culture in its purest form; from the stark imagery of black and white album covers to lyrics of satanic ritualism, both bands are admiringly dedicated to their dark art. True, black metal of this nature has become cliché almost to the point of parody, but Acherontas and Drowning The Light exude a sense of that knife-and-dagger danger that made early black metal feel so volatile, avoiding the unintentionally comedic trappings many of their peers often fall victim to. Uniting in 2010, their untitled split is a brief yet satisfying listen that yields two tracks of near-perfect black metal.
Acherontas and their track "Conjuration of the Five Negatives" is everything you could ask from a black metal song -relentless percussion and trebly guitars crusted in a fittingly filthy production job - but also, it's more. That aforementioned sense of ritualism has always been a pervasive and integral element of Acherontas and here, it lends the track some much needed depth; an air of mysticism swells during the songs second half, complete with hair-raising melodies and a fist-pumping necrotic chant of "THE TIME OF PYRE HAS ARRIVED/LET ALL OF US GIVE OUR DUE!" Utilizing black metal's often underappreciated versatility, the song rocks back and forth between unbridled speed and churning hypnotic dirges, the latter accentuating the power of the Acherontas' ritualistic aspirations. An undeniably excellent black metal track, "Conjuration of the Five Negatives" alone is worth listening to this split.
That's not to imply Drowning The Light's contribution isn't also a worthwhile experience; it's easily one of the strongest in his vast discography. "Without Regret…" is a gorgeous satanic hymn with a sense of beauty that doesn't belie the darkness in which it's rooted. It's brimming with riffs that contain the distilled essence of wintry black metal without sounding like blatant plagiarism of the genre's second wave; a true feat in modern times. The crackling guitars weave from one exultant harmony to the next, seeming about to burst through the speakers from the sheer magnitude of the triumphant melodies. Though the production is raw, the static-y rumble only serves the compliment the cold atmosphere and gigantic soundscape the song so effortlessly creates. Drowning The Light may be an inconsistent artist, but "Without Regret…" is an excellent example of how wonderful he can be when he hits the mark.
Thanks to brevity the two song Drowning The Light/Acherontas split, there is not a single weak moment to be found throughout its twelve minute length. On one hand its length is shame, but on the other it's allowed these two artists to come together and create a piece of music that defies criticism. However, the greatest triumph seen here is its embodiment of the black metal genre, with both bands becoming the torchbearers of all that is true, grim, and frostbitten in this modern age.
