The new (2020) label Petrichor has really sparked my interest with this fresh Adelaide, South Australian outfit DESCEND TO ACHERON and their debut "Transcience Of The Flesh" EP with brutal techical death and black metal combo for both impressive skills and songwriting as well as variety displayed across the 6 track 21:27 minute material. Although the collective is new its members aren’t new to the scene: Andrew Kite (vocals) and Dave Hawkins (rhythm guitars) are still active members of MANIACAL (thrash/groove) and Kite and Peter Clarke (lead guitars) both used to be in INTO THE BURIAL (technical black death), Matthew David Phillips (bass) is a current IMMINENT PSYCHOSIS (death/thrash metal) and ex-VIRGIN BLACK (doom/gothic/symphonic metal) member while Kieran Murray (drums) is a brutal death metaller in SEMINAL EMBALMMENT while grindcoreing in METH LEPPARD, and, finally, the EP features some session drums from Dave Haley of PSYCROPTIC fame.

This vast range of influences better amount to something great and, indeed, it does. With none of the songs falling below a 4.5 mark (thus the score) of those oscillating around it I pick the latter DEATHly "Plague Of Superstition" with hints of THE AGONY SCENE, GORGUTS and ALL SHALL PERISH but things get even more interesting on the very complex "The Godless Pt. 2" where IMMOLATION and BEHEMOTH play the inspiration fiddle. DESCEND TO ACHERON are at their most fantastic on the favorite closer "From The Mouths Of Wolves" which starts out balladic a’la TESTAMENT then slowly unravels proggy into a melodic DEICIDE from "The Stench Of Redemption", with melodic verses then brutal almost CRADLE OF FILTHian chorus and THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER riffing ushering a sample of some charismatic Christian preacher "applying blood of the Lamb" on everything as in a magic ritual (hint: it doesn’t work like that) after which things get almost black metal before the conclusion of the EP. I wouldn’t mind seeing a video for this particular track (hint, hint).

DESCEND TO ACHERON hits hard and brutal with "Transcience Of The Flesh" without sacrificing melody or variety with guitarwork equal to Charles Michael Schuldiner (DEATH) or Ralph Santolla (ex-DEICIDE, Obituary) promising even greater things to come so I suggest you get on board early.

https://descendtoacheron.bandcamp.com/