Band:	Agrypnie
Album:	Erg
Style:	Melodic black metal, Post-metal
Release date:	September 13, 2024
A review by:	RaduP

01. Aus Rauchlosem Feuer [feat. Phil]
02. Meer Ohne Wasser
03. Sturm [feat. Hupogrammos]
04. Blut [feat. P.G.]
05. Entität
06. Stunde Des Wolfes
07. Geister
08. Unter Sand

You guys like post-black metal, right? Then Agrypnie sticking to what they've been doing for the past decade should do the job.

There's a reason why I'm saying "the past decade" even though Agrypnie have been a band for twice as long. Sure, it is a bit of an exaggeration, and the math isn't exact, but there is something that does feel fundamentally different between how Agrypnie sounded like on 16(485) and how they sounded like on Aetas Cineris. This isn't necessarily a question of quality, since I can see how someone would prefer Grenzgænger to F51.4, for example, but rather of how discernable the band's sound was. The way Agrypnie played around with more progressive, symphonic, depressive, and post-rock touches had a more daring feeling to it previously, and has since settled into a more streamlined post-black sound.

It's a bit hard putting into words the balance between the way this album works as a very consistent post-black metal album, why the band is apt at showcasing the genre's qualities, and why most of Erg's qualities leave for a neat listening experience, but at the same time why there's very little lasting impression and qualities to really be excited about. Erg isn't exactly a generic post-black metal album, since there are still enough things that do carry a specific Agrypnie touch, from the progressive touches akin to Torsten's other band, Nocte Obducta, to the great drumming performance by Flo, to the use of guest vocals. It that worked for you on Metamorphosis, it should work for you on Erg.

But at the same time, there's something missing to get me to really connect to it. Torsten is a great vocalist, and he's far from being one-note, but I guess it says something that, even with three guest vocalists in the form of Secrets Of The Moon's Phil Jonas, Groza's Patrick Ginglseder, and Dordeduh's Edmond Karban, Erg's vocal front doesn't feel like it walks the extra mile from an emotional angle. It feels like the mix doesn't push a texture to the forefront enough, the songwriting doesn't push moments to the forefront enough, and the performance doesn't push emotions to the forefront enough, leaving everything to be consistent, but losing the chance to create more highlights in the process.

Consistency is not as easy to achieve as I'm making it up to be. Even if the extra mile isn't walked, the distance walked is still enough to make the album more than worthwhile.