RAPE OF THE BASTARD NAZARENE

"Rape of the Bastard Nazarene" is the debut full-length studio album by UK, London based death Metal act Akercocke. The album was released through Goat of Mendes in December 1999. Akercocke formed in 1997 and released a demo in 1998. Lead vocalist/guitarist Jason Mendonça and drummer David Gray had worked together in Salem Orchid, and after that act disbanded opted to continue working together and subsequently formed Akercocke.

Stylistically the material on "Rape of the Bastard Nazarene" is blasphemous/dark philosophical/demonic erotic themed death metal, with both deathgrind, black metal, and progressive metal leanings. Sometimes it´s blasting and murky deathgrind reminding me of the early Carcass recordings, and sometimes the music is much more sophisticated and technical. A track like "Marguerite & Gretchen" is an example of the latter style. It´s a relatively complex track, featuring clean male vocals and choirs with female vocals, displaying the band´s progressive side (and lyrics that are delightfully naughty telling the story of a demonic ménage à trois). The whole thing reeks a morbid occult atmosphere (which is further enhanced by the many chanting sections on the album), and although the raw and unpolished production job isn´t always a strength (some of the details of the music drown in the mix), the overall dark and gloomy atmosphere of the release prospers from it.

One of the great assets of "Rape of the Bastard Nazarene" is the high level musicianship. Akercocke are a well playing band and the vocals are well performed and varied, ranging from deep death metal growling, to higher pitched aggressive screams, to clean male vocals (and a few sections with female choirs as mentioned above). The relatively diverse use of vocal styles has great impact on Akercocke´s sound, the intensity of their music, and also for the variation of the material.

Upon conclusion "Rape of the Bastard Nazarene" is a solid release and a good quality debut album by Akercocke. They establish right away that there is something different about them and that they aren´t afraid to experiment and challenge their audience. It´s not a perfect release but certainly a great one and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).