Review: The microthreads of the black metal subgenre contain varying offshoots of concepts in aesthetic and concept, in emotional communication and complex lexicon of subconscious imagery. Christ Agony develop the lineage of bands trying emotional, doomy, and yet more conventional harmonic music. Reasonably competent they develop normal death/speed metal, add some complexity in voicing and insert the insane pulsebeat rhythms of black metal under melodic riffs. Their songs bloom out of control into lengthy explorations that run through tempos and riffs exhaustively searching to explicate the journey.
Occasional bizarre chantic or gothic singing intrudes but the music underneath is top notch, fast and well composed, giving fast dark riffs comforting resolution in melodic dissonance. Tempo variation exceeds the capacity of most bands and despite heavy repetition as in all rock genres this stuff holds up; they can pull off a nine-minute song like "Asmondei" and not get crap for the great judgement errors of the song, such as the dumb chanting or the keyboard effects. It is romantic music in the pace of the harsh and cutting vocals, in the gradual harmonies of the guitars and their melodic abstraction at moments of developmental riff mutation, and at times it is shockingly engaging and refreshingly beautiful and simple.
Tracklist:
1. Asmoondei
2. Devilish Sad
3. Paganhorns
4. Mephistospell
5. Moonlight
6. Eternalhate
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Copyright © 1996 Cacophonous
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The black metal subtypes have been included here at the parameter level, which is to say that drumming and guitars often follow certain technique-al subtypes to the genre, but develop themselves further beyond those containers. The music is reminiscent somewhat of later Therion in the way it effortlessly fuses a death-enhanced epic metal sound with some racing black metal. Fast with fast drums and fast strumming, a sycopation of destructive energy.
Some death metal rhythms emerge straight from the lineage of pure death metal evolved to its modern, grindcore-infused and technically-respectable component. The beautiful synchronicity of rhythms that metal bands carefully cultivate comes through here but is not overused, only appearing as a backdrop for these intriguing and varied songs. Despite the cheese factor this remains a solidly-executed metal record with vomitous complexities of simple ideas.