Although already started back in 2002, “Baptism in Psychical Analects” is the second full-length in the discography of Akantha from Greece. And the first album was just released in 2018, which is not strange actually, as Akantha just existed for 2 years before it took a long hiatus of 14 years. Athanasios, the main man behind Akantha, found the right dark companionship with drummer S. at the end of 2017 and the resurrection of Akantha was a fact with the intention to play pure, crude Black Metal.
So what is pure & crude Black Metal? According to Akantha it is Black Metal in the Darkthrone (the “Under a Funeral Moon”, “Transilvanian Hunger” and “Panzerfaust” albums)and Judas Iscariot way. So bleak riff driven Blackened Art with an icy atmosphere…and credits to whom it deserves, these 2 Greeks have released a very good album in that typical style. Even the artwork has a typical Judas Iscariot vibe. “Baptism in Psychical Analects” contains less sloppy drumming and the sound is better than Judas Iscariot’s “Thy Dying Light” for example, but it certainly doesn’t drop a level of pureness.
If the 3 Darkthrone albums and Judas Iscariot are interesting according to your taste, you will do yourself a great pleasure to get this album in your collection. (Ricardo)
