Description
2023, 12″ LP, Flenser Records.
Los Angeles based self-described “ecstatic black metal” outfit Agriculture are slowly becoming one the most talked about acts in the extreme metal underground, with near hysteric levels of hype growing for their self-titled debut full-length. Signing to The Flenser, a label known for its championing of the leftfield extremity of artists such as Chat Pile and Mamaleek, it’s no real surprise that so many in the scene are gravitating toward the group’s euphoric and uplifting re-interpretation of black metal motifs. With tremolo picking, blast beats and howling vocal shrieks all angled in such a sonic manner to feel enveloping and warm as opposed to the traditional frosted machinations of the genre, as well as the vulnerable poetics on display, Agriculture make a strong case for the Venn Diagram intersections which can often occur between the realms of black metal, screamo and post-rock, but they do so in such a nuanced manner as for it to feel blissfully cohesive and utterly natural.