Acceptance - Crucifixion of Orchids

Acceptance is a black metal band from the UK that formed in 2024; their latest release, “Crucifixion of Orchids,” is their debut EP.

It may be ‘just’ an EP but Acceptance have added a lot of content—these five sons have a runtime of just over 32 minutes.  The band’s sound is very dark, gritty, and has a huge sludge/doom/post influence.   These different styles work amazingly well with the bleak black metal that forms the foundation of the songs.

I found this to be a surprisingly well-balanced album, especially in terms of flow from track to track.  I am particularly impressed by the track placement—it was a fantastic idea to include the short but ravaging “Ark,” right before the album’s longest song, “Paradise.”  A sort of respite before the listener needs to give their full attention.  However, ‘respite’ is stretching it because “Ark” is anything but.

This song is fast, urgent, and just unrelenting.  For two and a half minutes, it’s one riff after another.  Drums hit like lighting strikes, their potency all the more profane with the blackened vocals ripping through the song’s atmosphere.  

“Grief,” reveals the true power of the album—as uncomfortable as their blackened vision is, it’s also strangely hypnotic.  I wouldn’t say this song (or any of them) are catchy per say, but they are definitely gripping.  The riffs on “Grief,” are like a tragedy—I don’t want to experience it  but once it hits me, I just have to succumb to it. The song grows more potent as it moves long, seething emotions bubbling to the surface. 

“Empyreal,” has some grueling bass work that exists just under the current of screams and static riffs, adding a towering sound to the song.  As it moves long, the bass becomes even more of the focus—it slaps hard, something I like to see in black metal.  This one of the more violent songs but the last minute or so is surprisingly melodic but in a downcast, dour way. 

“Wither,” is the second longest song on the album and one of my favorites.  Its begging is an explosion of everything that keeps black metal on its much deserving pedestal.  This song is riff based, for both the bass and guitars, but still injects it’s foggy and emotive atmospheric textures; the middle part of the song is otherworldly and perfectly bridges the song’s two halves. 

At nearly half the album’s runtime, “Paradise,” is the album’s focus point.  The bass guitar and ambient noises create a very dim atmosphere while the drums, while somewhat refrained, offer a steady beat that slowly increases the madness.  That madness breaks soon enough, gripping extreme post elements turning the notes into walls of sound that threaten to crumble around me.  The song opens up afterwards, letting riffs and atmosphere work together to settle into an unsettling mood. The ambient passage in the later half may seem gentle and quiet but it’s actually quite unnerving and horrific. 

With “Crucifixion of Orchids,” Acceptance have created a sterling piece of music that is well above the quality of most debuts.  It’s hard to believe how good this really is—and if they are this capable now, I can only wait impatiently to see what else they can conjure up from their depths. 

Rating:  Excellent