Agrimonia - Rites of Separation

In a short time the Southern Lord Bandcamp has doubled in size. The latest addition is Rites of Separation, the brand new full-length by Swedish band Agrimonia. We covered their self-titled debut here and thankfully Rites of Separation is much more of the same. Sludge. Post-metal. Crust. Epic, well written songs that consists of many diverse movements, like some of the longer Opeth songs. Terrific harsh vocals by Christina Blom (with the fitting nickname Crustina). Excellent production, and tons of anger and aggressiveness. And it's precisely Agrimonia's aggression that makes them stand out, as Austin Weber so nicely explains in the No Clean Singing review

"In general, the label of post-metal describes a cocktail of sludge, doom, and hardcore ideas shaken and stirred into a longer song structure [...] What this usually sacrifices is speed and aggression, since those qualities are not the primary focus. However, Agrimonia do not follow that path. Their take is gritty and vitriolic, adept at punishing you in waves, with a strong affinity for crushing heaviness."

Simply put Rites of Separation is a great album, it's the metal equivalent of tasty dish, that combines elements from different kitchens just right, and leaves you full and entirely satisfied.

Cult of Erinyes - A Place to Call My Unknown

The enigmatically titled A Place to Call My Unknown by Cult of Erinyes, available on Les Acteurs de l'Ombre Productions Bandcamp, is a hidden gem of majestic black metal. This is the Belgian bands debut full-length from 2011; the previous EP, the raw Golgotha was featured here. In an interview with Mortem Zine, Cult of Erinyes stated that "With the full-length, we worked on the sound a bit more, but I think we still managed to keep it rather organic as well".

And yes, production values on A Place to Call My Unknown are good; the sound is large and forceful, this combined with the harsh vocal performance by Mastema makes for a pretty aggressive sounding album. The aggression is tempered by the varied songwriting though. Songs take their twists and turns, and tempos vary. Brutal riffing gives way to more atmospheric parts, some utilizing clean singing. The drumming, by Baal, is nuanced for black metal, it backs the songs with interesting fills, and the riffs with speedy blasting.

In another interview, with Don't Count On It Reviews, Corvus (Bass, Guitars, Keyboards) describes the music as "ritualistic" and says that "It’s the reason why almost all the songs have a precise moment where everything will implode". He goes on to mention the second part of "Black Eyelids" as the best example, and rightly so; when Mastema intones "My hands are shaking almost constantly" shortly before the song explodes, the tension is palpable. According to the interview, Cult of Erinyes had the skeleton of the next album in place, and in 2012 they released a split with Zifir. I hope that album finds a home on Bandcamp too.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

Paroxsihzem - Paroxsihzem

Written by Atanamar Sunyata.

Art by Krag from Paroxsihzem

I’m a sucker for guitar tone. The right shade of raging will draw me into an album; the right riffs will make me stick around. On their debut full-length, Paroxsihzem roll out a sound that inhabits a buzzing, balmy circle of hell. The guitars recall the distinct distortion of Tom G. Warrior and the warm swarming of Amon Amarth. The milieu is death and the attitude is bestial; I think you get the picture.

Paroxsihzem are astoundingly heavy at any speed. Bulbous riffs burst with catchy crunch as they twitch in spasmodic bursts. The beefy blasting is far more engaging than the average death sprint. The drums are particularly enjoyable, benefiting from a sound that reflects nicely off of the pungent guitar tone. Paroxsihzem is seething with chaotic fury; this is the rallying cry of an army bent on bloodshed. The incomprehensibly irate vocals are executed with the cadence of a youthful Chris Barnes, enhancing the album’s crazed character.

Paroxsihzem utilize the cryptic-soundclip-as-extra-band-member schtick; it works quite well. This device on top of a grinding-death smorgasbord is evocative of Dragged into Sunlight’s Hatred for Mankind. In fact, this is how I wish a follow up to that album might have sounded. Paroxsihzem is printed without lyrics, so any inherent message is obscured; I’m happy to walk away from the album with a massive, mindless rage-on.

I’ve had Paroxsihzem in rotation since Dark Descent unleashed its magnificence upon the postal system last year. It was quite rightly amongst my favorite albums of 2012.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]