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Acerus > The Clock of Mortality > Reviews > Disciple_Of_Metal
Acerus - The Clock of Mortality

The Journey Continues... - 88%

Disciple_Of_Metal, June 17th, 2016
Written based on this version: 2016, CD, Lux Inframundis Productions (Limited edition, Digipak)

This album should have been released on the final day of 2014, but a string of issues prevented its inception until 2016. Not that such a thing matters, as Daniel Corchado's (of The Chasm, duh) The Clock Of Mortality is a very fine follower to the 2013 debut and there is definitely a lot of maturity in the songwriting. Those who might have been disappointed in the lack of a Chasm-esque feel of the debut should do well to check this one out, as the simplicity is gone (in a way) and the subtle tendencies of The Chasm are creeping in, in a wonderful way.

The other band members have departed from the band, leaving only Daniel to perform all instruments and write all the songs for the album. So now it's truly a solo project, and it begins to take on a more unique form as it becomes directly influenced by what Daniel has been doing in The Chasm all these years. So instead of the straight-forward, short and to-the-point songs of the debut, we have more developed anthems that have similar riff and lead structures that weave and wind their way in a grand and epic fashion. The riffs and leads themselves are still simple, there are just more of them and they go off on adventures. It's still pure heavy metal (there's no death metal to be found here) and it leans on the icons of old like Manowar, Dio, Priest and Maiden. The vocals are ruff and gruff, providing a tasteful gritty feel, like old Running Wild or even Nasty Savage, and I think they are a step up from the debut.

Of all the songs I love "Mystery" the best, it starts off with a riff you might hear on Screaming For Vengeance and quickly goes into more intricate guitar riffing that highlights the influence of The Chasm in this release, and the epic guitar solo is full of catchy hooks and leads. Other than that the opener, "The Sentinel Of The Demise" is really awesome, opening with an epic and catchy lead before exploding into pummeling speed with great catchy riffs. There's so many hooks on this album that songs get stuck in my head for days. Not that it isn't diverse in its sound either, as songs like "Feel The Clock Of Mortality" sound like they might come from Bathory's Hammerheart while the instrumental "I March Alone" has some pretty unique riffs not found anywhere else. Finally, the album ends with the epic closer "The Broken Spears" which sounds so much like Dio-era Sabbath, an epic doom/dirge heavy metal masterpiece, worthy of the comparison to the classic gods of heavy metal.

Unfortunately I don't believe the pinnacle of the Acerus sound has been reached, as I think some of the songs are a touch too long. Not that they get plodding or overdone, but some of the developments mid-song outmatch the return to the verse format, unlike the opening track which has a change that never needs to return to another verse. That being said all the songs are great and some are more outstanding. At the end of the day though it is true underground heavy metal that appeals to die-hard headbangers, and this one happens to have a more unique feel influenced by The Chasm, as Daniel Corchado continues to write song after song with seemingly no end in sight, despite the name of this album.