Michał Grabowski – photo
Founded back in 1990 by vocalist/guitarist Cezar, extreme metallers Christ Agony have a pedigree and armoury of well-received and acclaimed releases which alone makes the band’s upcoming ninth album, scheduled for release next year, a highly anticipated proposal. Add new three track EP Black Blood as a teaser, or in the words of its press release, ‘the harbinger’ of that impending release, and it is easy to see Christ Agony once again being a highly talked of incitement within black and doom bred metal.
The Black Blood EP is described as Christ Agony returning back to its roots, taking the inspiration of the dark 90’s and the period of their acclaimed 1996 album Moonlight – Act III to its creative breast. Cezar has called the release, “the circle of the wheels of time is complete… the black blood of the universe pumps the venom in the infernal veins”, and there is no escaping the potent and ripe essences of the band’s past bringing rich hues to their new and fresh exploration of sound and senses.
Recorded at Studio 666, the EP opens with Black Blood Universe, swiftly engaging ears and imagination in a thick doomy swamp of intrusive black and death metal lit by celestial harmonies and a shadowy clean vocal delivery around the insidious intrusive squalls of Cezar. Thumping beats from drummer Darek drive a torrent of bracing riffs cored by the predatory stalking of Reyash’s bass, their rabid union a tempering contrast but equally incendiary incitement to the melodic toxicity and mellow atmospheric charm of the demonically rousing encounter.
The track intimidates, invades, and seduces body and emotions with equal measure and success, leaving a lingering imprint even as Coronation saunters in with its own sinister swing and rapacious character and sound. Rhythms entice as guitars provide a scourge of scarring riffs and infectious grooves, the bass lying between the two in its bait as the track increasingly lures and grips the imagination, especially when a melodic dance frees itself from the intensive shadows to weave a magnetic web of enterprise courted by the increasingly carnivorous tone and prowl of the bass. The song is a forcibly gripping offering, only tightening its hold on appetite and pleasure with every passing twist of ideation and trespassing lick of insidious sound towards warmly haunting caresses.
The release is completed by Kingdom Ov Abyss, a track swiftly enslaving attention through its rugged rock ‘n’ roll of riffs and hooks within another blanket of emotive intensity. The invasive tones of Cezar again invite as they spew their rancor into the veins of the senses but it is the arousal of pleasure ignited by the belly of rock ‘n’ roll at the heart of the creative and emotive animus that triggers an unavoidable lustful appetite for the song.
If Black Blood is the true hint of the next Christ Agony album than further thick acclaim is heading the way of Cezar and co; more to add to that sure to be provoked by this excellent EP.
The Black Blood EP is out now via Witching Hour Productions, available digitally @ https://witchinghourproductions.bandcamp.com/album/black-blood and on Ltd Ed 12” vinyl, CD, and cassette @ http://store.witchinghour.pl/
https://www.facebook.com/ChristAgony
Pete RingMaster 02/11/2015
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