Silence is broken by a low reverberation in the ground. The air grows uneasy, nature stills. Something is coming... something immense.
The world is changed around me, peace I once knew has been thrown into chaos. A maelstrom of winds, quakes, and hail disintegrate the peace. Thus is heralded the coming of the Agrypnie.
Painful shrieks break the silence as the beast tramples across the landscape at inhuman speeds. The wind makes rhythmic sounds that are nearly musical with their wisps. As I slowly regain my footing, I become used to the presence within this place. It is indeed intimidating, yet reassuring and tranquil, despite the violence around me.
Agrypnie play an intense form of melodic black metal. It's filled with pain, incredibly somber melodies, tight speedy drums, and a rich atmosphere. The account above is one of first time listening to the opening track, Auferstehung.
The song starts off incredibly quiet before the band storms in with a blast beat and furious guitar riffing. It almost blew me backwards in my seat. During the songs 11 minutes the band phases through intense riffs, quiet and calm moments, repetitive build ups, all while maintaining a profound sense of melody. It's a lot to take in at once, but once acclimated the track quickly grew on me and now is a highlight of the album.
The vocals on the other hand are less thrilling. They are more a pained wail that is unappealing on the ears. It took me more time to get used to this than any other facet of the music. With time though it's become an essential part to Agrypnie's sound and the music would not be the same without it.
Grenzgænger is a tough nut to crack. There is an intensity to the music that drew me in from the get go, but there are also parts that turned me off. I've spent a few years with it at this point and I thoroughly enjoy the album now. It's likely one of the better melodic black metal albums in my collection.
No comments:
Post a Comment