Akercocke

Akercocke is a band from London, who incorporate progressive and black metal elements into their extreme styled death metal. They take their name from a talking monkey in Robert Nye's interpretation of the Faust-legend. They are famous for dressing in suits during concerts, their Satanic beliefs and having an extremely fast drummer. The band was formed in 1997 by Jason Mendonca (guitar) and David Gray (drums). The two had been friends in the past, and played in Salem Orchid until 1992, when that band split up. They soon added a second guitarist, Paul Scanlan, and a bassist, Peter Theobalds. They self-released their first album, Rape of the Bastard Nazarene, in 1999; after this release met with some success, they were signed to Peaceville Records, an underground record company; their debut release for the new company was 2001's The Goat of Mendes. 2003 saw the release of Choronzon, on Earache Records. Shortly after, guitarist Paul Scanlan parted company with Akercocke. He has suggested privately that this was not his choice, but no official statement to that effect has been made by either party. His replacement is Matt Wilcock, formerly of Australian metal band The Berzerker. Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds that go Undone was released in Britain and Europe in October 2005, and in the United States in February 2006 on Earache Records, to great critical acclaim. To promote the album, Akercocke went on tour wih Mortician and Blood Red Throne through Europe. Prior to this, they had played four shows in Britain to promote the new album, supported by fellow British death metallers Ted Maul. Akercocke released their fifth album titled "Antichrist" in 2007. This was their last album on the Earache label, as their contractual obligation was for three albums. Musically, "Antichrist" was considerably more primitive and brutal than its predecessor. On 18th of January, 2007, Theobalds left the band, citing personal differences. His replacement was Peter Benjamin of the band Corpsing.