Acheron

Looking back at Xenon just a year ago with the clarity of hindsight bolstered by my recent digestion of Acheron, it makes some sense to interpret that record as a culmination of the band's relatively distinct style up to the point of its release. Conqueror laid the foundation, Empyrean expanded the scope of the sound at the cost of its own stability, and Xenon gathered the pieces in a coherent and plausible manner, siphoning as much mileage as it could muster out of Tiberi's squeezed-dry, digital guitar tone and peerless ability to construct breathtaking orchestral flourishes to propel the continuing storyline. That said, it doesn't take a crash course in symphonic metal to underpin the fact that Mechina had more or less exhausted that avenue, and it was as good a time as ever to introduce some fringe elements into an already genre-breaching approach. The stop-gap single released last year entitled "To Coexist Is to Surrender" all but solidified this reasoning, so for anyone to approach Acheron with feigned surprise and disappointment is honestly waxing surreptitiously.

So yes, Acheron is a huge step creatively for these Chicago natives, pushing past the logical extreme that they have always tiptoed around in the past. Such a parlous coup is naturally executed with some measure of risk, and while it doesn't pan out quite as well as it could have, this record satiates a menagerie of hungers, hardly embodying the second-rate djent worship that this band is often categorized as. Looking at that particular descriptor, Mechina have always been grouped with bands like Meshuggah and especially Xerath, but aren't quite as perilously dependent on idiosyncratic polyrhythms and disorienting percussion. Incontrovertibly a symphonic groove metal band first and foremost, the riffs propel the songs forward in lockstep with the keyboards, only rarely breaking out of their comfort zone to flex their parched grit. Tiberi has totally fucking nailed the guitar tone this time around as well, wholly making up for the mess that Empyrean was sonically. His tone is digital and Venusian in construct and temperament, taking great advantage of the ten-string axes employed throughout. Expect pulverizing overuse of open notes and a general emphasis on droning and spastic intervals in equal measure.

The listener isn't dropped feet first into the æther right from the start, either. The band really takes their time to warm up and only begin to fire up the engines on "Earth-Born Axiom," which is an extended volley that introduces some of the more synthetically-inclined electronics that continually pervade throughout the record. Tiberi has decided to take a slight step to the side concerning his approach here, introducing less of an organic sheen to the cinematic angle, instead crafting a dystopian atmosphere more similar to Neurotech when all is said and done. The first concerted taste of this arises during "On the Wings of Nefeli," which is a cogent starting point for those interesting in the alternate disposition being pushed here on Acheron. It introduces chanting, female vocal contributions alongside surprisingly simple keyboard lines for the band, and both exist so harmoniously it is easy to forget that the riffs are less emphasized than perhaps ever.

To continue with that thought, this introduces what can be seen as one of the distinct shortcomings of the record. The camp that looks to this band for knuckle-cracking rhythm work and powerful riffs will not find quite enough of it here to draw a sufficient bead upon. Acheron jumps to and fro between wholly metal numbers and more experimental fare. While this introduces a fine equilibrium throughout, it can be frustrating for those weaned on records like Conqueror. "Vanquisher" is a powerhouse and a wise choice for the advance single, but it isn't necessarily indicative of the record as a whole. Balance this with tracks like "Ode to the Forgotten Few," which is dominated by Mel Rose's serene vocal contributions, and it can be a tiresome exercise in frustration for those pining for a true neck-wringing. I'm fairly sure that Tiberi is aware of this, but I can't knock the dude for pushing new boundaries instead of hammering out the same record ad nauseam with diminishing returns each time.

And really, great variety is what saves Acheron from being a bust at the end of the day. Other than some pointlessly isolated instrumentals like "Lethean Waves," each track has a fairly distinct identity and contributes to the cinematic breadth the band so desperately tries to promulgate. Just a great exercise in electronic metal and a refreshing change of pace from a band that didn't truly blow me away with their earlier output. The potential was always there, and it is great to see Tiberi loosening the stylistic reins a bit. I hope this continues, and we get something equally as pronounced and distinctive in the future. Perhaps not the metal juggernaut some were expecting going in, but it doesn't necessarily need that to be a memorable listen. A bold and compositionally lucrative move for Mechina at the end of the day.