Review by Felix on June 22, 2025.

When spirituality meets myths and vehemence liaises with competence, it can be that you are listening to an Acherontas release. “Psychic Death – The Shattering of Perceptions” confirms this statement on a high-quality level. Its title is almost too simple for the pretty complex, multi-layered compositions that are collected here. The booklet underlines the spiritual approach of the artists. It does not simply start with the lyrics of the first track, but with an excerpt from the “Egyptian Book of the Dead” and some more or less philosophical remarks from band leader V. Priest ("Mind and body are two vessels, separated and united at the same time..."). So one thing is clear right from the start: this album does not lack a message. The band has put heart and soul in the recording of the multi-layered material.

“Psychic Death” is no frontal assault. Of course, it houses a lot of massive attacks, but there is also room for pain, melancholy and self-reflection. The title track especially shows the reserved, melodic side of the Greeks, and even the narrative voice comes across without domineering or pronounced malice. Its mild aroma does not fully meet my taste, but this does not mean that the composition is badly arranged or something like that. I just prefer the more adventurous tracks. “Kiss the Blood” is one of them. Its first guitar lines are fantastic and seem to be inspired by the black metal scene of Quebec, but as the song progresses, Athens gains the upper hand more and more. The triumphant lines which create a great flow in the middle of “Coiled Splendor” also make me think of groups such as Forteresse, while the beginning of the track brings Carpathian Forest to my mind. Either way, this epic tune with a length of almost nine minutes never gets boring, but opens the windows to very different perspectives.

Filth from the underground cannot be found in the production. “Psychic Death” is based on a mighty, powerful and well-balanced mix whose clarity pays tribute to the well-defined mindset of the band leader. Even when the flames are blazing high in intensive and raging pieces such as “The Offering of Hemlock” or “Sermons of the Psyche”, the sound image remains clear and precise. Only the apparently ineradicable disease in worldwide metal, that the bass is neglected, is also to be criticised here, but the long-suffering fan has already got used to that. Anyway, these two courageous and uncompromising songs would have the power to smash the Acropolis until only ruins remained. But, as we all know, that has already happened.

To fill the opulent playtime of nearly 54 minutes with interesting compositions was obviously no big challenge for Acherontas, a band that has released a remarkable ten (!) full-lengths within 18 years. Only the last track cannot fully justify its length of seven minutes. Once again, we get narrative vocals and partly almost dreamy guitars. Admittedly, towards the end does the song intensifies into a vicious mixture, but that happens pretty late. Never mind. “Psychic Death – The Shattering of Perceptions” holds a lot of different moods without being random. Whether you like it bombastic, sprawling, strict, wild, or profound, almost everyone will find what they are looking for here, because most parts of the amazing album are simply done masterfully.

Rating: 8.2 out of 10