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AGATHODAIMON
The Seven
Napalm Records

They are back! One song that got me loving this German metal band back when I was a teenager is “Serpent’s Embrace”. At the time I did not delve much further into their music as I was only just getting acquainted with metal. But eventually I was attracted to their irresistibly enchanting and haunting creations, laced with melody and pure talent. From Carpe Noctem1 in 1996 all the way to In Darkness in 2013, AGATHODAIMON has never failed to deliver nothing short of amazing music.

In 2014 the band went their separate ways due to life and its ever-present tendency to change. There was always a part of me that wanted to see them make a comeback, and I remember mentioning it to Sathonys while we arranged the purchase of some merch he still had lying around. Naturally I was pleased to hear that this was an idea though it had not yet been confirmed. But fast forward to today and here we are…about to get a new album from the revived German metal masters, AGATHODAIMON. Welcome back!

The Seven, aptly named as it is their seventh studio album, sounds and feels a lot like what longtime fans of AGATHODAIMON love: heavy, melodic, enthralling and altogether epic. It almost feels as though they just picked up where they left off. The previous album, In Darkness, gave us a more tempered pace while the new one has a much more intense and aggressive feel to it. Clean vocals are expertly combined with majestic harmonies, showing the many facets of AGATHODAIMON that we have missed for so long.

The opener is “La Haine”, and boy is it an opener! This isn’t an album that slowly builds up to anything, on the contrary. It’s pure energy and intensity from the start and I love it! That thunderous soundscape is kept up throughout the album, slowing just a little bit at “In My Dreams”, a two-part piece with slightly different pacing, while maintaining the overall intense and aggressive feel of the album. Those familiar with AGATHODAIMON’s previous music will probably notice they have upped the ante, so to speak. The characteristic harmonies and expert arrangements have been retained but still, this is a new side to their music as well. It has a much more evident death metal feel to it all, but that doesn’t take away from the band remining true to their roots. I’m not quite sure how else to describe it but I can promise both newcomers and longtime fans will not be disappointed. AGATHODAIMON is back with a fury, and we welcome them with open arms in these dark times.

5.0 Out Of 5.0