Agarwaen’s asylum welcomes new residents.
For this third album, Anthony “Vryko” Hodju (vocals), Pete Bay (guitar), Dr. Wolfram (bass), Szilard de la Costa (drums), Crazy Gustav (guitar), and Vermin (actor) have joined Over the Border Records. Welcome to The Murder Trend.
The album opens with False Arrival, an unsettling sample that could have been taken from a Z series movie, joined by some keyboards to lead us into Bad Beginning, an immediately aggressive track where you can easily sense the madness of the project, but also the raw energy just waiting to come alive on stage. The riffs remain effective, but the band stands out for its numerous infectious vocal parts that border on Gothic Metal at times, building on the heavy atmosphere before moving on to God Complex, which offers a moment of respite. The track is relatively more accessible, letting its harmonics captivate us before diving back into its dark tones tailored for live performance while the catchy groove takes hold, followed by some far more aggressive passages as Orphan Son weaves in an unexpected oriental touch that contrasts with the rest of the track, where blast beats and Black Metal roots run wild. The vocalist remains as expressive as ever, whether in the furious sections or the calmer ones, but the band gives us another chance to catch our breath with La Colección and its acoustic intro, followed by Vryko’s antics, which reinvigorate the track by giving it an almost circus-like rhythm where even the most stripped-down passages remain full of life. Note the particularly theatrical final at the end of the long track before moving on to Circo de la Muerte, a new track that’s cheerful yet delightfully sinister, where the singer remains the central figure, directing the eruptions of violence that lead into The Hunt, where the atmosphere suddenly becomes more solemn, almost oppressive, before unleashing the bestial tones that echo the choruses. Unsurprisingly, the band returns to a lighter tone with Clowny Business, a track that contrasts grotesque sections with bursts of aggression, but the atmosphere grows darker as the sound progresses, becoming chaotic before giving way to Aenimus, where we get a few seconds to catch our breath before diving back into its mad dash. Once again, the rhythm section is perfect for getting the crowd moving while the musicians dance on stage, especially during the lengthy, terrifying segment featuring a chainsaw, before moving on to the album’s centerpiece, the title track The Murder Trend, which clocks in at over thirteen minutes, starting with a mix of samples and intricate instrumentation, but eventually letting the vocalist take center stage, letting loose as usual while delivering nearly ten minutes of performance, all the while following the shifting rhythm that keeps us on the edge of our seats until the much calmer finale.
Whether Agarwaen surprised you with its previous album, you’re clearly not ready to handle The Murder Trend! The album is really long, but connoisseurs are already savoring its horrific and cartoonish atmosphere.
80/100