Agrypnie is a black metal band from Germany, who formed in 2004. Their latest album, “Erg” is their seventh full-length album; they have also released a split, an EP, and on compilation.
I am pissed at myself for never having heard this band before! I am familiar with several of the bands the members have been involved with either through studio albums or in the live setting, such as Theotoxin, Benighted, and Harakiri For The Sky. With that being said, “Erg” is an album that has a sound all its own.
It’s rooted in black metal but there are post and progressive elements to it as well. It’s underground, heavy, and abrasive when it needs to be but there is a certain subtle approach for the songs that mixes all these elements together into one massive sound. Across it’s eight song, 54 minute run time it changes emotions and moods often, varying the sound across tempos, style, and structure. The best part? The songwriting is strong and the track placement smart making for a smooth experience that doesn’t make the ears tired.
The album begins with “Aus rauchlosem Feuer,” and its the perfect song to introduce both me, and others, who are new to the band. By the time the song was finished, I knew this album was going to be special. The build up is arcane, mysterious, and just a little frightening. As the smoke clears, the whole band barrels through around the 1:50 mark. The drums are atmospheric and highlight each instrument in the song because Flo knows exactly which parts to hit, where, and how.
Toresten handles everything else and I can’t decide what he is best at. His guitars are balanced between post and true black metal, his bass is sterling backbone and his vocals are damaging. Jack of all trades and master of all.
The mixture of clean, melodic tones into the bleaker distorted elements is very engaging, especially in the middle part of the song. It’s serene in its own way, the part from 4:20 to 5:48 before all hell breaks loose.
“Sturm,” features a long intro too but this one is very base and drum heavy. I could feel my heartbeat increasing as I try to prepare myself for what was about to happen. The band’s ability to change moods not only for themselves but the listener is amazing. This song has a depth to it that requires multiple listens to truly absorb it all; it has layers within layers.
The two part “Blut,” is another highlight. The first half is a intro consisting of hazy, laid back tones. The action rises just when it changes over to the second half. The vocals spit out acidic hooks that dig into the song and push everything along. The atmosphere is hard to describe; it has very small hints of the lighter elements of the first part, not in execution but in a certain way I’m finding hard to find. However, the drums and harrowing screams certainly make this one much more extreme. One of my favorites on the album, definitely!
“Stunde des Wolfes,” is one of the darkest songs on the album, a cold hand reaching out from the void. Even the groovier, more melodic parts have a sharp bite to them. The double bass drenches the song in a special kind of brutality. But the band, once again, throws in a surprise with a epic clean section near the end before turning to its blackened roots.
Agrypnie’s “Erg” is yet another blackened surprise to find me as the year winds down. To be honest, I can see this landing on a lot of year end lists just because it offers to much music and as many reasons to return to it again and again.
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