Akercocke – Words That Go Unspoken Deeps That Go Undone / 2006 Earache / 10 Tracks / http://www.akercocke.com / http://www.earache.com / Reviewed 03 February 2006

Akercocke has a sound that no one can deny is hard, but there seems to be somecaressing of the listeners on songs like “Verdelet” that really makes the argument of this disc into a bifurcated one. While there is definitely a thrashy, Slayer-like sound to the band, there is (and may actually be more present) a Paradise Lost meets Blind Guardian like sound to Akercocke’s style on “Words”.The band changes gears completely with “Seduced”, a track that does away with the somewhat distinct styles of “Verdelet” and creates something much more unified.

Both styles wash over listeners while the band subtly turns up the tempo until they simply cannot go any faster. Ina sense, Akercocke takes a great deal of influence from eighties rock ;”Shelter From The Sand” comes up with the same disaffected, morose sound that many Depeche Mode tracks contained. This is not to say that Akercocke loses their fury at any point during the disc, but that they are a band that really goes and infuses their music with a tremendous amount of styles,. The fact that each of these styles are done so well illuminates Akercocke as an act that should be considered more than merely a metal band and something that really is transcendent. The nuanced arrangements on “Words The Go Unspoken” really allow for a greater contextualization of the narrative that Akercocke is trying to imbue on each of its listeners. The multiple-guitar assault present on this track will drive listeners into the heights of ecstasy, while its incorporation into the rest of the track is nothing less than flawless. The very emotive, Queensryche-like sound of “Intractable” seems to be holding back a fury throughout the entirety of the track.

Going through the motions on “Words That Go Unspoken”, Akercocke come up with an album that never fails to surprise listeners. There is enough differing material on this album to allow for multiple repeats, but the band never loses their own style throughout the disc’s runtime. Of all the tracks on the disc, “Seraphs and Silence” may just be the largest derivation from the bulk of the disc. A greater sense of emotion really finds its way through this track, and there seems to be a distinct atmosphere created by the non-lyrical vocals on the track that really adds to the epic quality of the song. A more diverse sound is where metal should be going in the next few years, and Akercocke have got the memo.

Top Tracks: Seraphs and Silence, Verdelet

Rating: 6.6/10

[JMcQ]