Label: Moon Records / Black Death Production
Date: June 17th, 2024
When they say it’s better late than never… Three quarters of a year after its release, Agonia’s debut EP is in my stereo ready to be vivisected.
Agonia is a Polish trio which consists of two relatively experienced musicians and one of the epitomes of old school, nineties Polish extreme metal, Żaba, formerly known from Calvaria and Deadthorn. Debut studio output, whose title translates to “The Fire Reaches the Sky”, contains three tracks plus an ambiental introduction. And that’s just about it, when it comes to the general info about Agonia.
Even without diving way too deep into the soundscape of these Poles, much can be understood directly from the booklet. Starting from the brilliant painting that adorns the cover. This work of Mr. Zdzisław Jasiński, as any extreme metal enthusiast will no doubt immediately see, reminds me of one Mr. Peter Nicolai Arbo and the legendary “Blood Fire Death” album. It’s a different topic, lighter colour palette, but the view of a rustling in the sky remains similar. And if there are still any doubts, Agonia gladly mentions Quorthon in the thanks list.
Now, don’t be alarmed, Agonia is not one of those bands which rely on mishandling the undead legacy of Bathory. Inspiration is surely there, but it sounds to me like they stopped just shy of a blind worship. Namely, their music is leaning on the postulates of later, Viking era of the famed Swedish mastermind. Starting from “A Fine Day to Die”, through “Hammerheart” and onward. However, they’ve omitted the black metal undertone almost completely, thus remaining a sort of a pagan doom metal representative. For instance, Primordial fans could find themselves craving this band. It’s the solemn atmosphere that reigns over the whole “Ogień sięgnie nieba” that brings about such thoughts.
The said atmosphere is exactly the focal point of this recording. Skillful use of musical tricks of trade, versatility of guitar sounds and a tone of voice that crosses over from highlander-like to creepy ghoulish are leading the procession through the pagan sanctuary. The whole feeling of this record, no matter how reliant of the western metal pillars, is coated in eastern European aura. Czech legends Avenger or the defining Romanian underground act Negură Bunget spring to mind. Of course, they’ve grown up on the natural spring of Polish bands combining death and doom metal back in the nineties.
Basically, this material’s only shortcoming is that it is actually coming short, with just over twenty minutes of running time. Okay, perhaps I would like to read the lyrics and the everlasting idea of translating them, at least on the Bandcamp page if it’s not possible or necessary in the booklet itself. But that is really more of a problem with my lingual ignorance when it comes to Polish than the band’s fault. I still enjoyed spinning this CD, particularly with the artwork that definitely deserves a twelve-inch version or at least a poster insert.
“Let the whisper become a cry!”
