Agathodaimon - The Seven (2022)

Back in the day, Agathodaimon was one of those bands that pushed Black Metal into Symphonic/Gothic territories with some brilliant releases like “Blacken the Angel” and “Higher Art of Rebellion”. Unfortunately the band split up in 2014, leaving behind great promise and a very solid and unique sound. Fast forward to 2022, Sathonys is back with Chris Bonner on vocals and a set of new members with “The Seven”.

Featuring ten tracks and around 45 minutes of music, this release feels a bit exploratory, unleashing some killer tracks alongside some odd elements that take a few listens to fully digest. As “La Haine” rolls in with piercing riffs, hellish harsh screams and a fast pace, time is erased and Agathodaimon is certainly back. There are some superb sinister melodic passages that change the mood of the track and are nicely adorned by lush synths, alongside some not-so-great clean vocals. This approach is mimicked in “Ain't Death Grand” and “Ghosts of Greed”, both fairly solid tracks but with odd and contrasting clean vocal arrangements.

The killer guitar leads that are sprinkled in multiple tracks give this release a certain more Heavy Metal feeling, greatly adding to the band’s unique sound. However, the core of the band’s appeal are tracks like “Ghosts of Greed” and “In My Dreams (Part 2: In Bitterness)”, which feature the band’s unique sinister pace and melancholic approach to the genre that sets them apart from the rest.

As the band closes with the highly atmospheric “The Divine”, we are nicely brought back to the days when Agathodaimon was one of the most unique bands in the genre. With “The Seven” this German outfit is trying to recover lost time and they managed to mostly pull it off thanks to their very dynamic and expansive sound. While their core sound is intact (and excellent), some of the more modern exploration in this release might take a while to digest, but once this is done, you will certainly enjoy this release as much as their earlier ones.

Label: Napalm Records

Release: Marhc 18th, 2022

Genre: Melodic/Symphonic Black Metal

Country: Germany