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I tried getting into Agriculture's The Spiritual Sound last year on account of it receiving so much praise, but the wheels failed to get off the ground. I checked out the album's first single, Bodhidharma, and instead of feeling excited to seek out more, I just felt confused and put off. In fact, I don't even think I made it to the end of the six and a half minute track. It kicked off with these very dramatic and gothic metalcore riffs, but jarringly pivoted to this unnervingly quiet section that only featured Leah B. Levinson's frail whispers, and the spacious, out-stretched pulse of a kick and snare. Then with two flams, the band reprised the intro, letting the previous moment hang there without much explanation. I didn't understand or felt intrigued by the experiment, and so I figured that Agriculture was likely just not for me.
In search of metal with queer representation, I decided to go back and give this record another shot. I quickly realized that Bodhidharma was a very daring choice as the record's first taste; not exactly indicative of what they bring to the table. Starting The Spiritual Sound from the top quickly changed my perception of the band as we're thrust into an overwhelming blast of grinding, death metal guitars and blast beats. The guitar heroics are immediately on display as Richard Chowenhill strings together lightning fast picking, dive bomb bends, and nasty pinch harmonics into a shredding passage that serves no other purpose than to completely desecrate the stereo landscape. I'll later come to learn that his masterful presence is all over this album. After a few false starts, the track finally settles into foreboding, chugged riffs that set the stage for wretched, black metal vocals. This track is titled My Garden, yet there's nothing serene or prosperous about the scene, aesthetically speaking.
Once again, this opening track is not a very good representation of the band. In fact, as you progress through the tracklist, Agriculture becomes more difficult to pigeonhole. The following track, Flea, leans into the blackgaze sound I had initially anticipated given the enveloping wall of tremolo-picked guitars that play heavenly, rising melodies over relentless drums, and the intentionally echoed wretched vocals that clash with the original source. The genre's post-rock tendencies come out during calmer passages where dual guitars chime sparsely as a more measured tom groove provides support.
The band maintains their blistering energy on Micah (5:15am), although with more of a post-hardcore and screamo flavor. The screamed vocals aren't as saturated in distortion, nor do they sound as refined from a technical standpoint. As a result, the performances come across much more desperate and dynamic. Musically, there's magic in the chorus thanks to an uplifting chord progression that casts a penetrating, bright light that pierces through the noise. It is one of the most memorable and deeply resonant moments on the record.
The band's repertoire continues to run deep with The Weight, a much slower and doomier track. I love the way it opens with spacious crescendos and the surprising moments of tenderness where guitars form a beautiful duet. The ending of this track is particularly arresting as they cut the distortion, yet keep the aggressive vocals. There's a stark juxtaposition between these elements, yet together they create a deeply intimate scene. From there, we transition into Serenity, a track that is most certainly deserving of its title. It stands as the brightest, most straightforward, and instantly gratifying cut on the record due to its unyielding energy and undeniably triumphant tone.
The album's last real sonic surprise follows with Dan's Love Song. Here, the band completely switches gears and delivers a warm, fuzzy, and beautifully noisy drone piece that you can't help but completely immerse yourself in like a warm bath. As the track progresses, melodies slowly begin to sharpen and drift into focus, rewarding those who are able to push past the initial discomfort. Between the wailing, distant guitar leads swirling in the background and Dan Meyer's soft, wonderfully harmonized vocal delivery, the arrangement unfurls into a genuinely transcendent, out-of-body experience.
This brings us back to Bodhidharma, which upon revaluation, has grown on me slightly despite not having the most intriguing metal riffs, the most chaotic energy, and not having the most seamless progression. Learning that the band has a strong metal foundation throughout the entirety of The Spiritual Sound has paved a way to be more appreciative of their risky, unexpected detours. My Garden teases this quality by interjecting with these surprisingly sweet passages where slightly dulled guitars and whispered vocals mimic this catchy alternating melody as Kern Haug plays a blast beat with a new found softness. Or just when you think The Weight is going to resolve in another beautiful guitar duet, the band fakes you out with another helping of nightmarish, dissonant walls of guitar. After a very emotive and shaky singer/songwriter section, the last forty seconds of Hallelujah concludes with short bursts of black metal that are interrupted by some heavily distorted classic rock licks. Not only do these moments make for a thoroughly engaging listen, but it's how Agriculture separates themselves from an ever growing field of crossover metal acts.
While some may think that an album with such adventurous and far-reaching songwriting can result in a record that doesn't feel cohesive, The Spiritual Sound's tracklist has a very impressive flow. The tracklist was assembled with intention, and demands to be listened to from start to finish. This characteristic is primarily achieved by foreshadowing the following track's musical themes just prior to transitioning over. Flea leaves off with the same angsty chords that begin Micah (5:15am) which ends with the same style of guitar and bass duet that can be found all over The Weight; and so on. Even just counting in the next song as cymbals are still fading out, like on the transition between My Garden and Flea, creates this sense of constant motion. One last example is that Hallelujah is a natural continuation, both musically and thematically, of its previous track Bodhidharma. Mainly, it reprises the latter's strongest musical motif, albeit in a slightly more intimate, unplugged fashion.
I've come to learn that The Spiritual Sound asks you to surrender your expectations of metal music. While it is undeniably heavy and contains many of the tenets of metal songwriting, Agriculture displays an experimental streak that manages to, once again, subvert a musical landscape whose capacity for surprises appear to be dwindling. With whiplash-inducing detours, stark shifts in dynamics that either feel oddly serene or deeply uncomfortable, and a self-confidence that knows exactly how each brush stroke contributes to the larger picture, The Spiritual Sound has the capacity to ensnare you. That is, provided you have the patience and open-mindedness to fully examine the body of work.