Tuesday 25 February 2020

REVIEW: Agvirre, "Silence"

By: Benjamin Gomes

Album Type: EP
Date Released: 24/01/2020
Label: Trepanation Recordings |
Surviving Sounds



“Silence” CS//CD//DD track listing:

1). Radio Silence
2). Muzzle & Mask
3). Abandonment

The Review:

Taking their name from one of the most important movies in Werner Herzog’s filmography, Agvirre are a post-black metal collective from Manchester that debuted in the scene with their extended play “Silence.”

Despite the short time span of the piece, clocking in at around 27 minutes, the band showcases a unique blend of black metal, incorporating experimental passages and an interesting song writing approach that infuses the tremolo picking we know well with violin melodies soaring over the songs that brings a more emotional vibe to their compositions.

This is bolstered  further still with a strong vocal performance, reminiscent of Colin H. van Eeckhout’s of Amenra where every word is shouted with such emotional urgency that it accentuates the compositions  beautifully. Lyrically, the whole album is cantered around the idea of one using a mask to cover their true self, dealing with hard things like loss and pain under a guise which only contributes to having a more difficult time dealing with that.

In the ending part of ‘Abandonment’, the third and last track of the EP, Agvirre switch to cleaner vocals and deliver a final uplifting message that works as a summary of the whole message they were trying to convey, a final message to the band that will serve as the final message of this review “Take off the mask that squalors you / Take off the mask that squanders you / Your true voice lies beneath / Your true self lies beneath / Take off the mask that silences you”.

“Silence” is available HERE






Band info: bandcamp || facebook