🔗 Share this article

All the euphoria, transcendence, and intensity of heavy music radiates with blinding force from the second album by this self-described "blissful black metal" ensemble hailing from Los Angeles.

This new album combines crushing weight with imaginative detailing. Lead single the song Bodhidharma rides a guitar motif fit for a motorcycle crew, before a burst of static and shrieking heralds a melancholic atmospheric rock middle eight. The often-criticized technique of the virtuosic guitar solo is brilliantly revived by axeman the lead guitarist, whose lead work here and on standout the song Flea will have you floating in ecstasy – yet the gentle song Hallelujah showcases descending guitar melodies played with youthful innocence.

Songs such as Micah (5.15.am) and the song Serenity are high-speed punk rock, while the piece Dan’s Love Song is without percussion and has glacial Sunn O)))-style distortion rumbling along underneath its ethereal beauty. Black metal melodies can often be absent or too complex, but Agriculture’s riffs and hooks are bright and original, and final track the song The Reply even evokes a much heavier Radiohead.

Listeners who enjoy post-metallers Deafheaven will likely adore all this dynamic shifting and fearlessly beautiful sound, particularly since the group also have two divergent vocal styles, split here across two singers. Dan Meyer contributes sporadic soulful, clean singing, but the star is Leah Levinson, her voice trembling on Bodhidharma but fiercely howling elsewhere.

In typical black metal fashion, it’s hard to make out the words she sings, but they’re worth seeking out: the stories she sings about suicidal friends and social injustice are devastating, just like her quest for meaning in a world that relentlessly trends towards conflict.