Agriculture: The Spiritual Sound Review – Boldly Beautiful Noise from Blissful Extreme Metal Group
All the euphoria, spiritual ascent, and power of heavy music bursts forth with overwhelming energy from the sophomore release by this self-described "blissful black metal" collective hailing from Los Angeles.
The Spiritual Sound pairs crushing weight with creative intricacies. Lead single the song Bodhidharma rides a guitar motif fit for a motorcycle crew, then a blast of noise and shrieking introduces a melancholic atmospheric rock middle eight. The maligned art of the virtuosic guitar solo is spectacularly resurrected by guitarist Richard Chowenhill, whose lead work on this track and on standout the song Flea will have you floating in ecstasy – yet the gentle song Hallelujah showcases descending guitar melodies played with childlike simplicity.
Tracks like Micah (5.15.am) and Serenity are high-speed hardcore punk, while the piece Dan’s Love Song is without percussion and has slow-moving Sunn O)))-style fuzz rumbling along underneath its ethereal beauty. Melodies in black metal can often be absent or overly fussy, yet Agriculture’s riffs and hooks are bright and original, and closer The Reply even evokes a more intense the band Radiohead.
Fans of post-metallers Deafheaven will likely adore all this contrasting dynamics and unabashedly gorgeous noise, especially because the group also feature two divergent singing approaches, divided here across two vocalists. Dan Meyer adds sporadic melodic vocals, yet the standout is Leah Levinson, her voice trembling on Bodhidharma but splenetically caterwauling on other songs.
In typical black metal fashion, it's difficult to make out the words she sings, but they’re worth seeking out: the stories she sings about suicidal friends and social injustice are heart-wrenching, just like her search for purpose in a world that relentlessly trends towards violence.
