All lighthouses have long faded, all beacons to old houses reign corrupted, emptied of their good faith as the searing sting of societal and environmental corrosion has lingered long enough that all nerve endings buzz low, as if necrotized flesh infested with the milling jaws of insectoid irritants. The itch of the coming existential end is yet raw as ever as songs writ to soothe the fringes find neither peace or purpose in this slow descent. Debauched within the ‘game’ of commodified culture-void observance of denial, all sounds hum across dulled senses and yield hollow currencies. For their fourth and most fantastical songbook Chicago, Illinois-borne ‘unorthodox molten’ heavy metal quartet Acerus provide their biggest windowed reveal into our in-process cataclysmic finale, an unmerciful and slow wrought death for humanity. ‘The Caliginous Serenade‘ rings loud in the ears as a mutant outside of time stoked by traditions of epic, power and speed metal in presenting a dark fantasy set on the last sliver of horizon left wherein those haplessly surviving under the ever-burning erosion of survival finally collapse under the weight of our treachery.

Acerus was formed by way of musician Daniel Corchado (The Chasm, ex-Cenotaph) circa 2012 just over a decade into his ongoing campaign for total independence and pursuit of music on his own terms, aiming for the traditional heavy metal that’d started it all for him in the 80’s while also freeing his work from the confines of his well-loved underground death metal band. Entirely differentiated from his other craft and staunch on their DIY approach their first LP (‘The Unreachable Salvation‘, 2013) featured a full band more-or-less and aimed for a rough, raw and brutally heavy vision of what I’d consider epic heavy metal. Though one couldn’t have escaped the elements of power and speed metal in their craft the dramatic vision for the album was sombre, elaborately presented and underrated at the time. For the second album (‘The Clock of Mortality‘, 2016) Corchado performed everything, essentially creating and realizing the album by his own hands from the ground up and this meant his harsher vocals took a back seat to the riffcraft he has long been known for, a speed/thrash metal stoked presentation.

The first and second iterations of the project were notable, mostly noticed by fans of The Chasm by association, but did not necessarily realize the full ambition of the artist just yet. Acerus‘ third full-length album (‘The Tertiary Rite‘, 2020) would be the one to get it right for my own taste thanks to a new line-up featuring well-chosen folks from the Chicago-area underground who’d seemed to grasp Corchado‘s intended U.S. power-thrash metal spiked sound and give it all a strong boost. The tangential reach and bigger personae of the band arrived thanks to the additional capabilities of lead guitarist Ed Escamilla and vocalist Esteban Julian Pena who’d brought a certain trait of tension and malevolence to their sound per the best of (earliest) King Diamond, Jackson-era Satan, and even the still-thrashing initial years of Iced Earth in some respect wherein the shared motives of all reside in some love for a certain era of Maiden. This meant some bigger focus on lead guitars in dual-shot form and some advanced use of harmony overall, elevating their appeal immediately on my part to the point of buying the vinyl after just a few spins. ‘The Caliginous Serenade‘ seems to take stock of the well-received style and obvious successes of that previous album while further developing the varietal diction of the vocalist, upping the shred levels a bit, and experimenting with pacing and presentation which ultimately results in a far more dramatic result overall.

The most common conception, perhaps a too-easy conclusion to arrive upon at face value, is this idea that Corchado‘s vision is a direct extension of his work in The Chasm with different vocal and melodic pursuits. This is a somewhat dull thought we could compare to the perceived transition from later Death through Control Denied, wherein we would more than likely serve either self-taught visionary artist (Schuldiner or Corchado) better in suggesting they are intuitive creators who are building from a point of inspiration, an innate feeling available to early-in-life experiences with traditional heavy metal which, back then, possessed involved and unique traits. Now that we have a direct comparison in ‘The Scars of a Lost Reflective Shadow‘ it is even more clear that we’re in another realm entirely and that this album possesses a different sort of verbosity in development of these ~5-6 minute heavy metal pieces which are of course still informed by epic heavy metal, speed metal, and 80’s power metal. As we hit songs like “The Perception” early on it’d make sense to hear shades of post-reformation Satan in the cadence of both the guitar runs involved and the Brian Ross-esque delivery of Pena but the band suggest underground greats such as Heavy Load and Manilla Road also factor in, though this is far less obviate in the midst of the arabesque melodies that a song like “Failing Vision” dances around. Either way, Side A is just as driven and even more wildly stated than ‘The Tertiary Rite‘ in some respects.

At nine tracks and ~54 minutes in length there are essentially three perceived acts available to ‘The Caliginous Serenade‘ and none all too out of the ordinary per a storming few pieces out the gates, a thoughtful sojourn through its middle third, wherein “Preparation” through “Prevail” feel related by riffcraft and sombre tonality and the finale is served between the final two pieces, each levelled in more of a steady ‘epic’ galloping waltz. Along the way I’d felt “Towards the Enigma of No Return” consistently caught my attention for its dwelling rhythms which yet retain a barking power metallic level of conflict, if there is a The Chasm-esque riff anywhere on the album the final third of that song has it humming beneath its leads; The ten minute closer/title track (“The Caliginous Serenade”) brings Acerus‘ epic heavy side into full flexion resounding with the already DoomSword-esque delivery of the Pena emphasized in this longer form and strident yet slow-going movement. Haunted chorales, wailing vibrato from the vocalist, the clangor of bells to match certain rhythms, and a slow-galloping pace ensure this is a grand finale unlike anything else on the album and perhaps the one piece to best communicate the Warlord (and, eh Mercyful Fate?) inspiration found intermittently in their work. Though it inflates the length of an already packed record the final piece on the album is absolutely one of its biggest highlights.

Returning to the pure, unadulterated mode we’ve come to expect from all of Corchado‘s works meant delving through the lengthy rush of ‘The Caliginous Serenade‘ feeling it was equal parts familiar yet inspired, an even finer result than their prior full-length with much more to say and even more ways to say it. Upon first listen I’d felt it was a mere follow-up, sustaining the same standards and practices but as I dug through and spent more time with the full listen the more overwhelming its details became and just how much better rounded the listening experience was this time around. I’ve not idea how long the high of repeated exposure to Acerus‘ latest album will last throughout the year but for now this record sets the bar high for traditional heavy metal style in 2024. A high recommendation.

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