The term Post in music, for example Post-Punk, has developed greatly over the years. It’s a strange genre to try and describe but if you know, you know. Think of Post as an often dystopian, modernist or perhaps even experimental branch of the musical tree. Naturally Post found its way into Rock, and latterly Metal. For me this style of music is about the highest peak of musical snobbery, and quite frankly that’s why I like it. It’s essentially music for music fans if you will. Many people may claim to be into music but from my experience very few actually are and it is often this sort of style that separates people between a passing interest and utter obsession.
So speaking of Post-Metal we come to Post-Black Metal and the German based experimentalists Agrypnie. Formed in 2004 the band have gone on to release five full length studio albums as well as an EP and a compilation. Today we speak of the bands latest efforts their 2018 full length Grenzænger and their compilation from the same year Pavor Nocturnus which gives us a collection of demos, orchestrated versions of existing songs and a new delight. So today we are in for a sort of double album review if you will, but how does it all hold up?
So first off I’m going to talk about Grenzænger as it is chronologically the first release from today’s order. Naturally this album is as expected, beauty encapsulated within destruction. Progressive in nature and equal parts technical, drone laden, relaxing and chaotic this really is a strong exuding of stylistic artistry. There is a definite Black Metal presence namely within the vocals and guitars. One of the traits which I find most appealing is the albums seamless ability to transition from one track to another. Another highlight would be that certain songs such as Auferstehung and Nychthemeron cease to become drawn out despite their length, in fact they probably represent some of the better tracks from this release. Full of emotive power, technicality and thorough enjoyment Grenzænger is a perfect addition to any Post-Metallers collection.
Next we move onto Pavor Nocturnus, the aforementioned later compilation with a variety of demos, a new track and orchestrated versions of songs. The beginning part of this release, the demos, is every bit as maniacal as one might expect. There is a cacophony of Post-Black Metal that drips with aggression and sublime textures. Following this comes Neon, the new track from Agrypnie. This is certainly a new direction, the song is very relaxed utilising clean vocals to the fullest extent. Yet this song seems to stand out, not just because it is different but also due to its impeccable song structure. If this is the future of Agrypnie then sign me up. Neon could probably be best described as more traditionally Post-Metal but it fits the bands brief perfectly. The final portion of the album is equally chilled, with the orchestrated tracks giving a air of ambience that borders upon the dark ambient. As a recent addict to Dungeon Synth and an existing fan of Ambient music I found this part of the album very much to my tastes and overall this compilation is a fantastic mixture of sounds.
To conclude I would have to say that Pavor Nocturnus gripped me more than Grenzænger. As a newcomer to Agrypnie I wasn’t all that sure what to expect, and whilst Grenzænger is a fantastic album is doesn’t have quite the same replay factor as its successor. If you are like me new to this band then Pavor Nocturnus is a brilliant place to start, you’ll get a wide variety of styles and an enveloping scope of what Agrypnie are all about. This is music for music fans and not for the casual listeners so grab yourself a copy of these albums, lock yourself away and nerd out.
(8/10 George Caley)
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