I’m not sure what caused this, but most of the death metal bands of Dutch origin that I’ve heard generally possess a thick, bass-drenched and powerful sound that many of their European colleagues lack. Whatever the story (easily accessed marijuana and prostitutes may be part of the reason…) it’s plenty fine with me. Acrostichon are one of the less well known of the nation’s exports, having made this debut album on a small indie label and never really making a presence for themselves in scene. More’s the pity to us fans, as this lot sound much like an unholy cross between the guttural ambience of Autopsy and the sharp riffing of Bolt Thrower. The guitars are distorted at the just about perfect level of overkill, while bassist/vocalist Corinne bellows and roars like a werewolf undergoing surgery sans anesthesia. Nice too are the band’s arrangements, which handedly swing from blast beats to thrash to straight ahead chugging sections. “Immolation Of The Agnostic” is primo stuff especially, although “Relics” proves they can make with the heads down grindcore as well as anyone. A minor classic of European death metal, sure, but it’s still a lot better than many releases I’ve heard from those who are considered the genre’s godheads.
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