Acerus – The Tertiary Rite (2020) / 89%

Potent Metal Assimilation

Daniel Corchado is one of metal’s finest gems. The Mexican native can’t literally do no wrong (okay, I haven’t heard his ambient doom project Magnum Itiner Interius but I’m sure it’s decent) and Acerus’ newest album simply proves that he hasn’t lost any of his mightiness.

Before you continue reading that review, I need to ask you some questions. 1) do you like riffs? 2) If yes, do you like heavy riffs? 3) do you prefer those heavy riffs to be excellent? If you answered “yes” to all questions, you can now proceed. The gates are opened. The posers were kicked out from the temple of good metal taste.

Acerus’ first album since 2016 The Clock of Mortality is a barrage of condensed fiery metal with a compressed plethora of influences infused into one potent expansive but tight record. Combining intricate odds to progressive metal, epic metal and even thrash or death metal, the album has this mythological feel somewhat akin in spirit more than sound to what Symphony X did at the peak of their career (Divine Wings of Tragedy, The Odyssey or V: The New Mythology Suite). There’s this definite aura of Greek and Roman historical as far as themes go. I’m a big fan of that stuff (see Primordial’s To the Nameless Dead or Macabre Omen) and it’s nice to see those topics being explored in this hybrid style Acerus plays.

The riffs and leads of Corchado and his younger spire Ed Escamilla (from thrashers Reign) are what drives this album. From the slow mournful ones of “The Sinister Sea” and its odd epic doom overture to the blackened feel of “The Fight with Destiny” or the power/thrash might of “The Immersion”, it’s a varied album in terms of riff origin but not so much in terms of moods. It’s fairly samey without repetitive. The eight songs are getting a bit blurry with each-others but I think this helps create a sense of unity for the album and I always prefer that over individual songs. The clean but vigorous vocals of newcomer of Esteban Julian Pena are pretty legit, he has good pipes and adds to the heavy/power atmosphere of The Tertiary Rite. I do think he gets outshined by the true power of the riffs at times though but he adds a Greek epic metal flair to the album.

Their metal sound is quite unique, it never fully goes into progressive metal territories and explores a bunch of other disparate sonic islands. You can hear that Corchado is a metal connoisseur and a veteran as his influences are fully assimilated and integrated within his compositions. It’s distinctive without being overly over the top or weird. It’s for sure one of the finest albums released in 2020.

Bandcamp

Fer de Lance – Colossus (2020) / 85%

Adamantine Axes & Potent Incantations

Formed by strong members of the traditional metal scene, Fer de Lance will knock you from your seat with their epic blend of influences. The trio is composed of Collin Wolf from Smoulder and Olórin, MP of speedsters Moros Nyx and Patrick Gloeckle (Moros Nyx, Satan’s Hallow, High Spirits...), a strong group of adventurers indeed. That debut extended play showcased a band ready to fight for the most lucrative and dangerous contracts available at the local tavern!

The acoustic guitar introduction of “City in the Sea” follows by an instant epic vocal moment proves that this band doesn’t mess around. We get four sings all between four and six minutes. No time to waste here, it’s compact and mighty. An approach I’d say is similar to Italy’s classic Doomsword (where are they by the way!? Their last album is from 2011) with their ballsy and uncompromising attitude towards epic heavy/doom metal. Fer de Lance investigates many eras of epic metal such as the northern shores of Quorthon’s Sweden, the shiny rainbow of Ronnie James Dio without forgetting to explore the deeper cuts like Scald, Solstice, Old Season or Mael Mórdha.

MP is a very strong vocalist with an impressive range and he’s showing his chops here with influences ranging from Dio, Dickinson or Russell Allen. He wrote songs to showcase his abilities and did it very well. There’s impressive choirs throughout the album too and it gives a sense of epic airiness that’s both pleasing and necessary to push the band to the next level. If you don’t lift your fist and sing along, you might listening to the wrong style of music for you.

The highlight for me, besides the vocals, is definitely the interplay between the acoustic (MP) and electric guitars (MP and Wolf). I think I haven’t enjoyed that combination that much since Primordial’s existence. The title track is a good example of such interactions. It adds this Celtic folk touch to their sound and it’s just gorgeous and interesting without ever becoming sugary or the sole focus of their musicality. It’s masterfully produced and recorded too, those guys know what they’re doing and got a veteran in Collin Jordan to master the EP. It just sounds massive.

Fer de Lance is perhaps the strongest epic doom debut EP since... I don’t know? Maybe Capilla Ardiente’s Solve et Coagula or Atlantean Kodex’s stuff before The Golden Bough. Now give me a full length please! Another great signature from Cruz Del Sur, that's for damn sure.

Buy on Bandcamp