This German act came across my radar more or less at the same time that I discovered compatriots Imperium Dekadenz in 2010 when both bands released their third albums. There was something very special and epic about both bands that made me latch onto them and I have continued to follow their work ever since. This is Agrypnie’s seventh full length and I can tell you that in all of the albums I’ve listened to none have ever been disappointing. In fact the band goes from strength to strength under the guise of founder and song writer Torsten Hirsch who plays and arranges everything except the drums which are courtesy of Flo Musil who is the only other permanent member for the band.
If you’ve ever listened to Agrypnie then you can testify to their inimitable ability to write emotive and truly passionate black metal tinged with a slight post-rock feathering but saturated with atmospheric charm. Opening number ‘Aus Rauchlosem Feuer’ features guest vocalist Phil Jonas of the now sadly defunct Secrets Of The Moon but currently residing in Crone. As the atmospheric beginning lays down the groundwork for what is to come, the black metal eruption is spectacular and formidable. With inherent barbarity the song is enhanced by the caustic vocal tone and balanced by a fine drop in pace to unveil some melancholic atmospherics that offer a beguiling aura.
‘Meer Ohne Wasser’ has a morose opening sequence, slower and poignant the tune revolves around a slightly cleaner vocal approach but is still intrinsically pernicious. As it develops the song adds a sorrowful led guitar hook that seems to drift along before the switch in tempo appears. I must say that the guitar hook on this tune and in some of the other tracks reminded me of very early Katatonia, that mournfulness that seems to caress you as a listener before the blast beat arrives. We have another guest vocalist on ‘Sturm’ this time by Hupogrammos of Dordeduh and whilst it is difficult to tell when this happens the multifaceted vocal approach is patently obvious, especially with the wondrous soaring tones that manifest throughout. The opening to ‘Sturm’ is bleak, a simple strummed melody with backing rain effects as a drum fill filters through that you know is leading the song towards an inevitable assault, which it duly does of course as an isolated riff break is accompanied by snare work and a fabulous injection of blast beat. What I especially like about Agrypnie is their unmistakable skill to ingrain so many sonic hues to their music, one minute skin flaying obsidian wrath, the next delicate despondency dancing in your head like apparitional auditory ghouls.
‘Blut – Teil’ comes in two parts with the first part acting like an intro piece by immersing you in atmospheric ominousness that possesses huge gravitas that flows into the second part fluidly and with colossal impact. The burst in black metal has great momentum especially since this tune also has another guest called P.G. from German band Groza (there are a few bands with this name). The passionate ethos to the music is superb, running the gamut of stirring melodies and enraged blasting that make the song epic.
Personal favourite on the album is ‘Entität’ where a sombre opening is filled with dread right before the abrupt blackened insertion that is vastly atmospheric and massively melodic equally. Here the vocals have that clean edge again, giving the song some flair before the blast beat comes in. Like a couple of the other songs the track has that permeating melody to grasp onto as the song increases in density and power wondrously. There is a similar feel to ‘Geister’ with its calm opening sequence punctuated by pulses before the drums seep into the mix. The expected metal insertion arrives with purpose and aplomb as you think the song is going to be a purely instrumental only for the vocal to appear about three quarters in. This leaves ‘Unter Sand’ to conclude this magnificent opus and in recent weeks I seem to have received some truly awesome albums and this is yet another one. ‘Unter Sand’ is more aligned with pure black metal ferocity as the song smashes in without ceremony. The cleaner vocal tone has an edge like all the songs but the frenzied nature of makes them seem more intense as the brief pause only signals a further intensification. The brilliant switch out of blast beat for double kick alongside the pervading melody is tremendous as the vocals take on a whisper style that ghost through the song. Plus when you have that Katatonia like guitar hook you have a closing track that is stupendously effective, as this album thoroughly is on all fronts.
(9/10 Martin Harris)
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