The Spiritual Sound

Saying that black metal is supposed to be ugly is like saying that hardcore is supposed to be fast, or pop is supposed to be vapid. It's a misconception, and a rather boring one at that. If one were to look at the history of black metal, it becomes very apparent, very quickly, that it's not all about buzzsaw guitars and resounding screeches.Since its inception in the '80s, black metal has been many things, usually all at once. Even in the beginning, it was diverse in its sonics, imagery and lyrical content; one would never the sky-high shrieks of Mercyful Fate's King Diamond with Quorthon's shredded barks. The genre has always been open to experimentation and atmosphere, with each new generation bringing different instruments and influences into the fold. From folk and ambient, to crust, death and symphonic, the whole point of black metal is that it's limitless.While some purists will often balk at the idea of anything other than the raw, abrasive form of the genre, those same people will also miss out on a lot of good music. For the rest of us, there's Agriculture, and on their latest offering, The Spiritual Sound, the band embrace the genre's past while firmly pushing it forward into newer, weirder and more ecstatic territories.The Spiritual Sound starts off with the frenzied "My Garden," which sees the band collectively exploding from the outset; a slithery riff turns into a chug, turns into a breakdown, turns into an exorcism. The unabashed experimentation of black metal bands like Blut Aus Nord, Liturgy, Zeal & Ardor, Portal and Oranssi Pazuzu are certainly in Agriculture's DNA, and this lack of devotion to a singular style or approach is celebrated with gusto: we hear echoes of nü-metal, thrash, shoegaze, post-rock, death metal, post-punk, screamo, folk, indie rock, (post-)hardcore, jazz, and noise across the band's diverse sonic masterpieces.On "Flea," the echoing vocals disturb and caress, while a ripping, melodic guitar solo brings us back to metal's bluesy roots. "Micah (5:15am)," the band's punkiest offering to date, is driving and bouncing in equal measure with a chorus that soars in ecstasy. It's definitely one of the highlights, the blistering riffs and explosive screams complemented by dissonance and breakneck stops."The Weight" is pure plodding, headbanging horror; abrasive, noisy and distorted, the relentless feedback unapologetic in its intensity. Even the ending, with just bass and guitar, features bloodcurdling screams and dissonance. There is no respite, even in record's calmest moments, with the shimmering "Dan's Love Song" droning and stomping simultaneously, a cooing break that still feels crushing.The Spiritual Sound proves that Agriculture are a band that live for these contradictions, and the album shows their unparalleled ability to write mini-suites that are consistently inconsistent in the most beautiful ways. The band — Dan Meyer, guitar/vocals; Leah B. Levinson, bass/vocals; Richard Chowenhill, guitar; Kern Haug, drums — wrote and produced the record themselves, with Meyer and Levinson handling all of the lyrical duties. This closeness gives the album its sonic stability, even in its most divergent moments.As a whole, it's an overwhelming, uncompromising beast, filled with twists, turns, and knots — a gnarled oak of a record. Because both Meyer and Levinson sing/scream, it's often difficult to discern who is performing which vocals and when. And yet, this is one of the band's, and the album's, greatest strengths, the duality forming a very effective, uncomfortable whole. The vocals are powerful throughout, and not always knowing who delivers them helps form a definite and welcome tension.Named after a Buddhist monk considered the First Patriarch of Chan Buddhism, "Bodhidharma" is an exercise in juxtaposition — and a test of patience: its semi-silent "verses," made up of wavering vocals and Haug's beyond-minimalist drums, are contrasted by an explosive, transcendent "chorus." Chowenhill's tremelo-picking guitar solo is somehow both simple and complex, the song ending in a punctuated moment of sonic and lyrical violence. At times, it sounds a bit too much like another divisive black metal band we all know and love, but it also becomes more and more tremendous with each listen.On their self-titled full-length, the band spread sounds, phrases and themes across different tracks, the same words and riffs presenting black metal as something both punishing and understated. They do the same on "Bodhidharma" and its follow-up, the swirling, bombastic "Hallelujah." Both songs tell the story of Bodhidharma and Huike, the Second Patriarch of Chan Buddhism, using very different approaches to create nuanced moments of connection that add drama and concept.The skittering drums on the epic "The Reply" point toward new directions, territories yet unexplored, the track's hypnotic fuzz and unwavering rhythm giving way to Meyer's fragile voice and lonely guitar. "Here I am / I can see my breath at the edge of the ocean," he sings, the dream-like imagery soon bolstered by the oceanic weight of the rest of the band. Featuring the gorgeous vocals of Emma Ruth Rundle, the track is rapturous, its cascading sounds, drenched in reverb and distortion, bringing the album to a powerful close. It's emotion personified, and it's one of the best things Agriculture have ever released.Unburdened by the need to please, adjust, or compromise, the band have crafted a blurry vision in noise, power and beauty that exceeds many expectations while still leaving space for the band to grow even further — branches extended, the buds waiting to bloom. Confrontational yet embracing, The Spiritual Sound wraps you in screams and distortion, pummelling while blanketing, devastating amidst the uplift. Its various styles and approaches are exhausting at times, but the sound itself plays as an apt metaphor for the perpetual shifts in our world, and in ourselves. On "The Reply," the band call the ocean ceaseless, and so is their potential. Crash with them, and rise together again.