The Band Agriculture: The Spiritual Sound Review – Unabashedly Gorgeous Noise from Blissful Extreme Metal Band
Every bit of elation, transcendence, and power in heavy sonic art bursts forth with blinding force from the sophomore release by this self-described "blissful black metal" collective based in Los Angeles.
The Spiritual Sound combines immense heaviness with imaginative detailing. Key track Bodhidharma propels along a guitar motif suited to a biker gang, before a blast of noise and screaming heralds a melancholic post-rock bridge section. The often-criticized technique of the widdly-woo solo is spectacularly resurrected by axeman Richard Chowenhill, whose lead work here and on highlight the song Flea will have you floating in ecstasy – yet the gentle song Hallelujah features descending guitar melodies played with youthful innocence.
Tracks like Micah and Serenity are high-speed hardcore punk, but Dan’s Love Song is drum free and has slow-moving Sunn O)))-style distortion rumbling along underneath its ethereal beauty. Black metal melodies can often be either nonexistent or too complex, yet the band's riffs and hooks are vibrant and innovative, and final track The Reply even evokes a more intense the band Radiohead.
Listeners who enjoy post-metallers similar artists will likely adore all this contrasting dynamics and unabashedly gorgeous noise, especially because Agriculture also have two divergent vocal styles, divided here across two vocalists. One vocalist contributes sporadic melodic vocals, yet the standout is the other vocalist, her voice quivers on Bodhidharma but fiercely howling on other songs.
In typical black metal fashion, it’s hard to make out her lyrics, yet they are worth seeking out: the stories she sings about suicidal friends and anti-LGBTQ bigotry are heart-wrenching, as is her search for meaning in a world that inexorably bends towards violence.