Acceptance is ready for renewal.
After six years under the name Fatalist (which has already offered a demo, an EP and an album), the English band made up of C.C (guitars), R.S (drums, Sloth Hammer, The Afternoon Gentlemen), M.S (bass) and M.T (vocals, Sloth Hammer) collaborate with Road To Masochist for the release of Crucifixion Of Orchids.
The album immediately gets down to business with Grief, where darkness, melancholy, abrasive riffs and howls of despair lock us in a rather peculiar but relatively soothing atmosphere. The rhythm finally picks up speed and turns into a torrent of bitterness, still accompanied by the gripping screams, but we savor a brief moment’s respite before plunging back into the murky ocean with the musicians, before finally joining Empyreal, where a few brighter touches add to the rage. A peak of mystery appears on the break, but is erased by a more direct vivacity infused with the aggressive roots of Black Metal, whether with motivating patterns or faster, ripping parts that build up the intensity of the sound before finally letting it slow down before meeting Wither. Four hits and the hurricane reappears, sweeping us along without choice in its devastating but erratic flow, taking turns towards suffocating Sludge and airy Blackgaze strands before finally setting off again at a brisker pace to create raw nuances that build and overlap before giving way to Ark. The track is very short (two and a half minutes), and doesn’t waste a moment in revealing its furious melancholy at high speed while offering heavier moments before the very long Paradise takes its place, first very gradually, then exploding all at once and pouring out its torrent of dissonant notes that becomes slower and oppressive before a disturbing noisy passage, but the hazy, soaring touches will take their place again before a fascinating final.
I’ve never heard of Fatalist, but one thing’s for sure: Acceptance‘s musical identity is very assertive and polished. Crucifixion Of Orchids sounds very raw, but I’m sure nothing is left to chance by the band.
90/100