Final Conflict (Last Days Of God)

Death metal, black metal...whatever you want to call it, the Columbus, OH-based quartet Acheron certainly possess it, and they want to share it! The group's 2009 release, The Final Conflict: Last Days of God, is -- as expected -- one brutally heavy affair from beginning to end. They pay tribute to the godfathers of extreme metal, Slayer, on the album-opening title track (which music-wise, possesses more than a passing resemblance to the aforementioned band's title track from their 1988 album South of Heaven), and also offer quite a few other hard-hitting heavies, including the rapid-fire riff/screamfest "I Am Heathen," as well as a song whose title screams '80s metal -- "Power and Might." Everything about The Final Conflict: Last Days of God is pure death metal -- the gnarly cover illustration, the song titles, even the group's picture on the back cover (all dressed in black, passing time by hanging out a snow-covered cemetery). ~ Greg Prato|