Acheron

interview by - Wouter Roemers

Having recently inked a North American distribution deal with John McEntee's Ibex Moon Records Columbus, Ohio death metallers Acheron now have their new album "The Final Conflict: Last Days Of God" available worldwide. Released in Europe by Displeased Records this new album sees Acheron at its most vicious and primal. Masterful Magazine caught up with Vincent Crowley to talk about the new record.

Hi Vincent! Thanks for doing this interview with us! It's been a while since we've last heard from Acheron, so what have you been up to in between the 2003 release of "Rebirth: Metamorphosing into Godhood" and the recordings and release of "The Final Conflict: Last Days of God"?

Well, our former record label Black Lotus Records went out of business, so that postponed the next album and left us without a label. So we decided to take a break from the label business and just play some shows. So we did some select shows playing out our 1st album "Rites Of the Black Mass". Then we worked in some new guitar players and finally found a new record label and signed to Displeased Records from Holland.

Your new album "Final Conflict" has been released a couple of months ago. As far as I was able to track down, it got raving response worldwide. Did you expect the scene to react as warmly and receptive to the new material as they did?

As a band, we are very happy with this new release. It was very enjoyable recording it and everything went very smoothly in the studio. So we figured the true Acheron fans would really be into it. And unbeknown to us a lot of other people seemed to like it too! I get tons of emails everyday from fans worldwide who really dig this album. I am glad!

There's an obvious fascination with Greek mythology. The name Acheron means "river of woe", and is one of the five rivers that flow through the realm of Hades. The Cerberus-like hellhound on the cover of the new album, which represents the three major religions, originates from the same source. Have you always been interested in ancient Greece?

Indeed. Many ancient mythological stories gain my interest. The 3 Head Hell hound actually represents the beast that destroys all three of those religions. They were the symbol of their victim on their throat and the mark of the beast "666" on their heads.

Compared to earlier material to number of intros has been toned down considerably. Was this done to let the music speak more for itself. How did the working relationship with Peter Gilmore cease? Was there any bad blood or mere artistic differences?

Yes, the Acheron of today is different than the one of the past. I want the music to do the talking now, not fill up space with intros. At the time the intros were important to what we were trying to convey to the fans. Now it is more war-like. It is a go for the throat approach, more than the atmospheric feel. When I resigned from the Church Of Satan in 2000, Acheron was broken up at that time. When I resurrected it again I really wasn't in touch with Peter anymore and my attitude for what I wanted to do with the band changed. Before Acheron was more or less a Satanic propaganda machine. Now, we are a band which ideas and lyrics stem from my personal dark thoughts. Still very Satanic in nature, but not the Church Of Satan house band anymore. As far as I am concerned there is no bad blood. We just kinda quit talking to each other.

Over the years you've worked with the best drummers in the business, people like Tony Laureano (Dimmu Borgir, ex-Nile, ex-Angelcorpse, Internecine), Richard Christy (ex-Death, ex-Iced Earth), Mike Browning (ex-Morbid Angel, Nocturnus) have all at one point sat on the drum stool for the last and the last couple of years have seen you working with former Incantation and Funerus drummer Kyle Severn.

Yes, I have indeed been lucky to have been able to work with such talented musicians. Kyle has been in Acheron now longer than any past member. He's like a brother to me. We work very well together and I personally feel we have created some of the best Acheron work together. And intend to create even more!

The guitar slots are filled by Estuary's Ash Thomas and Max Otworth (Darkness Undying). Thomas was merely for the studio recordings. How has working with new guitarist Art Taylor been compared to the others that have filled that slot over the years?

Max Otworth did almost all the solos on the new album. He's actually a young guy with a lot of talent. We think he did a great job. Ash Thomas was helping us out with live shows and was playing many of the newer songs, so we invited him to play on the album. He did and he did great! We were very pleased with both guitarists. As for Art Taylor, he is a killer guitarist too! He used to play in the band Werewolf. He's already done some shows with us and things are looking very good.

If you ask me, "Final Conflict" is a big step ahead in terms of songwriting and production, you worked with Bill Korecky at Mars Recording Compound in Cleveland, Ohio - how much time did you invest in the recording process?

Not much! We have a very small recording budget and had to get in and get out in a timely manner. We actually recorded "Rebirth: Metamorphosing into Godhood" at Mars. Bill is a great guy to work with and he really did a awesome job. And I must say the band was very tight and things went very smoothly.

What lyrical ideas and thematical concepts hide behind Acheron? The album title obviously suggests a certain blasphemous intent, is that correct? How important are the lyrics to you? How much influence do you get from Satanic works and related scriptures?

I also have professed that Acheron's lyrics stem from the darkest side of me. Whatever influences me or interests me helps me put it on paper. "The Final Conflict: Last Days of Good" is basically my personal dream of what an Apocalypse would produce. Even though we do have many blatant Satanic, Occult and anti-religious themes, true Satanic art goes far beyond that. And you will witness that on the next Acheron album!

How did you hook up with Displeased Records, where there any other labels interested and what made you sign with them in the end?

Actually, I received a email add from them about upcoming releases. I seen a contact email, so I wrote and asked if they might be interested in a band like Acheron. They responded rather quickly and asked to hear some new material. We let them hear our demo stuff and the made us an offer. We did have some other label interest, but we decided to go with Displeased Records.

You are one of more outspoken supporters of Satanism, along with people like Glen Benton (Deicide) and King Diamond. So if this question is not too private, I'd like to know what direct influence it has in your everyday-life and philosophy.

I'm not as outspoken as I used to be. Before I felt the need to get the information about Satanic thinking out to the masses. Letting them know we existed! Well, we did that. Now, I am very comfortable with who and what I am. I feel no need to explain myself anymore. If people want to know what I am about all the have to do is listen to my music and read my lyrics and writings. When you are younger you feel the need to shout your views from the roof tops. I am older now and don't need to do that anymore. My life is Satanic, I was born to be that way. Nothing I can do or say will ever change that.

What's the status of Wolfen Society, the death metal band you head up with members of Dark Funeral, Electric Hellfire Club and Incantation? Will there ever be any new material released?

As of now it was only a one-time recording project. We have talked many times of doing another cd, but nothing ever manifests. Who knows?

A couple of years ago you moved from Tampa, Florida to Columbus, Ohio because of a love interest. Now that you've settled there, how is it working out for you and the latest incarnation of the band?

First off, the girl didn't last. I actually hate Columbus, Ohio with a passion! It is nothing but a bunch of hip-hop wannabe drones. Only a very limited amount of metal people. But the band is working out fine. We are truly the outcasts of this scene.

Is it difficult to maintain a balance between your day job, your responsibilities as a parent to your two daughters and the workings/organisation of Acheron?

Unfortunately, I am not in contact with either of my daughters. A long story with lots of drama. (No need to get into it.) But working a full-time job and doing a band is time consuming. I would love to just record albums and tour the world all the time, but that is not a reality for a band like us. We are an underground band that is not very politically correct. We won't be selling millions of albums or be playing arenas anytime soon. But we live for making and playing this kind of music and we will keep doing it till we can't do it anymore.

What is it you'd like to see for Acheron in the near future?

Another album and all of us enjoying doing it. And the continued support by our great fucking fans! Hail the Legions of Hatred!

Well, I'm running out of questions, so feel free to end this interview in any way you like. If there's anything of importance we might have forgotten to mention or anything you'd like to add, just go ahead. Thanx a lot and all the best to all of you!

Thanks for your interest and support. We hope everyone picks up a copy of our new CD (not download it!) and help the underground stay alive! We thanks all our fans for their loyalty and dedication! As long as my heart still beats...THERE WILL BE BLOOD! See you all in Hell!

Info: www.displeasedrecords.com / www.ibexmoonrecords.com
Booking: www.myspace.com/acheron

Acheron

interview by - Wouter Roemers

concert / tour dates

...

reviews

some more stuff

list of interviews

Interviews in polish