Vincent Crowley, the frontman for black/death metal band Acheron, has spoken out about his decision to end the band after a 22-year run and detailed his plans for Acheron's fiery farewell. "I was really pleased with [2009's 'The Final Conflict: Last Days of God']," Crowley told Noisecreep. "I thought it was a really good way to end things."

To some extent, Crowley's decision to snuff the Acheron candles is a reflection of his desire to stretch beyond the extreme metal parameters of the band. "Obviously, being a band like this and being so strong with the content and the philosophy we project, we're kind of limited to how we get out there to the fans. So we've always been this cult band that had a really die-hard following. And I ate that up for years. The fans kept me going in the studio and doing shows. But we finally got to the point where I need to move on and do something else. I think I've done everything I could have done and wanted to do with Acheron."

As a farewell to fans, Acheron will tour through the end of 2010 with a set composed of the band's first album, 1991's 'Rites of the Black Mass,' performed in its entirety. The first show will be at the Central Illinois Metalfest, which will take place July 23 and 24 in Urbana, Ill. "We wanted to come full circle by do something special for our fans," Crowley said. "We'll throw in a couple encores and go out the way we started."

After Acheron dissipate into the ether, Crowley will form another metal band that's less confined by its musical and lyrical approach. "I'm sure the writing styles will have similarities, but I'm not trying to make Acheron part two, that's for sure," He said. "We're not gonna limit ourselves by giving anything a label. Acheron's always been considered black metal or death metal. When the next one comes out, I'll let the public listen to it and figure it out for themselves."

Instead of working with whatever musicians are on hand, as he's done with Acheron, Crowley wants to put together a solid, stable band. "For years I've gone through tons and tons of people just trying to get albums out and do shows," Crowley said. "I've worked with a lot of talented musician and interesting people, but with this next one I don't want it to be a rotating shift of people. I want it to be a set group of guys that have a goal set and are in it for the haul."

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