Agenbite Misery – Remorse of Conscience (Modernist Blackened Sludge)

 

You know, if I were to ask you what’s an author or particular novel of said author that you’ve found referenced in metal too much, you’re 200% going to say H.P. Lovecraft or use the term “Lovecraftian” cause you probably can’t name any of his novels (that’s because he mostly did short stories, duh). As PORTAL found out, that shit got trite fast because it became a premade cornucopia of ideas that anyone could use, the most vapid of which latched on as though it was the next fad to ride. If I see that anymore, usually the music that comes out of it is utterly vapid. Merely covering average music with repetitive themes will never, ever save it. So when I first saw Agenbite Misery in the promos I was intrigued. Instead of Lovecraft, we have James Joyce, and instead of “The Call of Cthulu,” we have Ulysses as a primary reference point for one of the most unusual, experimental albums ever dropped in anything. Holy shit Remorse of Conscience is true modernism.

   

I’d honestly be surprised if even a minority of metalheads know anything about Ulysses, but since you likely don’t let me try. Joyce intended on making his novel so dense that it would, quote, “keep the professors busy for centuries.” It’s nearly impossible to summarize what it’s about, suffice to say Agenbite Misery exemplify his approach. For example the word ‘agenbite’ is essentially Middle English, which Joyce used seven times specifically in Ulysses in the phrase “agenbite of inwit,” meaning “again biting of wit.” One particular section then reads after this phrase “Misery! Misery!” So it’s clear these guys have read not just superficially, but deeply. You can already see how much time I’ve wasted trying to explain the context, so let’s get to what you’ll find musically, since you should, rightly, expect something unusual. This is psychological turbulence, with a production so intricate it will likely give more professors problems lasting beyond Joyce’s original intentions. With anxious fluctuations mimicking the stream-of-consciousness approach of parts of the novel, you’ll find yourself in a soundscape like a rainy morning in Dublin through “Cascara Sagrada,” only to then find a shift to a melancholic, synth crescendo of noisegaze (such as in “Whatness of Allhorse”) before ripping your ears apart in a sudden crush of blackened doom (such as “Bellwether and Swine”). This one requires some patience, but after you settle and realize Agenbite Misery craft a blackened soliloquy with countless layers to decipher, you’ll realize how it transcends metal in its representations of human guilt, memory, and our endlessly haunted condition.

 

Agenbite Misery Official Instagram

Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls

Agenbite Misery – Remorse of Conscience
Independent
Cover Art: Alex O’Dowd
4.7 / 5