Agrimonia’s Awaken is 100% Pure “YES!”

Agrimonia will release Awaken, their first album in nearly five years, tomorrow… and MetalSucks has yet to cover it once, despite their last opus, Rites of Separation, ending up on my 2013 year-end list. Oops. Sorry. But, hey, better late than never!

Awaken found a spot on my running “Best of 2018” list by the end of the second track, “Astray.” Agrimonia excel at melding the weirdly-feel-good melodeath for which their native country is famous (that would be Sweden) with the kind of sprawling, cinematic doom for which bands like Daylight Dies are known. Like all of their albums, Awaken ends up being a pleasurable nightmare; the vocals may conjure an anesthetic-free kidney removal, but the music seems to reach out to you from your speakers and massage the knots out of your neck and shoulder. How can something sound this evil and this relaxing? No idea. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

Do yourself a favor and listen to Agrimonia’s Awaken below, courtesy of Metal Hammer. It comes out tomorrow on Southern Lord. Pre-order it here (digital) or here (physical).