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Agathodaimon > Higher Art of Rebellion > Reviews
Agathodaimon - Higher Art of Rebellion

Higher Art of Rebellion - 72%

DMhead777, April 21st, 2020
Written based on this version: 1999, CD, Nuclear Blast (Limited edition)

Agathodaimon is a band I started to get into in the mid-aughts. Once I discovered Dimmu Borgir in my Hot Topic high school days, I naturally became interested in Agathodaimon as well. They were always a band I respected because I got into them so young, but never really sat down and listened to their disco. Upon doing this now, I feel like I have a better understanding for these guys and can appreciate the art in their music way better than 15 years ago.

I have to say that the opening track does this album no justice. "Ne cheamă pămîntul" is one of the worst songs on the album. The band switches from English to German frequently throughout, but to start things off in a different language is a bit off putting. It's not necessarily a terrible song, but it doesn't really go anywhere. The first half of "Higher Art of Rebellion" seems to just increase with song quality. Up until "Novus Ordo Seclorum", I thought the album would just get better and better. "Body of Clay" is an almost perfect way to transition the album to the second half. The vocals are clean and has slowed down, but beautiful guitar work. The song structure and writing can be gorgeous on most of these tracks.

The band is known for their symphonic black metal style earlier in their career, but there are also hints of thrash and classic black metal here as well. This comes more towards the second half that Agathodaimon seem to bleed out into other subgenres. "Novus Ordo Seclorum" has some thrashy elements that kind of made me perk up. For a while there, I was getting some straight up blackened thrash which I very much appreciated. Then, "Back into the Shadows" starts playing. It's a pretty vocal heavy song, kind of like a poem, but definitely has elements of classic black metal at times. That song can get extremely heavy and made me wish the rest of the album could have been similar. I dig symphonic black metal, but hearing what could have been had me very much intrigued.

As much as I like Agathodaimon's early symphonic sound, I find most of the playing on here to be pretty by the numbers. It's good for what it is, but I feel the guitars, bass and drums take a back seat to the vocals and keyboards. There are three members performing vocals here and they all do a great job. Clean vocals are clean and harsh vocals are perfect for black metal. "Heaven's Coffin" is just one example of great keyboard placement. It's definitely changes up some otherwise slow and long songs. This is a very romantic and dark album, so a lot of songs come across as poetry. It definitely works though.

Overall, I really like "Higher Art of Rebellion". It doesn't break any boundaries, but you can't say Agathodaimon doesn't have talent. Some songs can be a bit of a drag, especially if they are singing in German. What helps is the great placement of keyboards and vocal work from three separate members. It's a solid album that you can put on and feel good about.

Recs: "Glasul artei viitoare", "When She is Mute", "Body of Clay", and "Novus Ordo Seclorum"

A dying romance, withered by your naivety. - 80%

Diamhea, March 10th, 2014

A lot can be said regarding a potent, sullen Gothic atmosphere; it is just so rarely pulled off well. Where many bands like Cradle of Filth feel the need to obfuscate the listener through the use of exhausting mountains of orchestration and tacky vocal delivery, Agathodaimon gets the formula right on Higher Art of Rebellion. It is interesting that a sub-genre so often associated with shameless excess is best pulled off under more subdued, lo-fi aesthetics. While even Agathodaimon themselves fell prey to many of these modern trappings later on, there is a certain charm to be had with their gritty, cryptic earlier material. So sit back and relax as you bathe in the blood of a hundred virgins, because there is a lot of material to tackle here.

The band attempts so many styles here, and somehow succeeds with most of them. Higher Art of Rebellion is certainly an eclectic listen, as the band shifts from cleanly sung atmospheric dirges to more crunchy, blackened riff-driven romps. Other than the occasional spirited tremolo passage, the riffs are generally dark, stately, and unhurried. The band has no trouble crafting a stomping groove like on "Heaven's Coffin", but the emphasis tends to defer to the murky lead more often than not for the main appeal. The ambiance really starts to get cooking during the more atypical compositions like "Body of Clay", which merge Schulte's effective keyboards with resonant clean tones. As always, Wickler's somber clean delivery is quite impressive, serving as a great counterpoint to the venomous shrieking elsewhere on the album.

The keyboards are always a point of contention, and while this is where most Gothic bands bite the dust, it serves as one of the greater appeals on Higher Art of Rebellion. Schulte's keyboards sound admittedly cheap and are often quite abrasive, but they come off as a supplement to the atmosphere as opposed to the centerpiece. She will occasionally take the reins like during the ending of "Glasul Artei Viitoare", but Agathodaimon relies on a more measured balancing act more often than not. The best example of this balance has to be "When She Is Mute", which neatly fits all of the disparate styles being attempted here within it's pernicious confines. The murky powerchords and limber leadwork weaves with the simple keyboard melodies to form a cohesive whole that hints at something much greater than the individual parts alone.

While bands like Theatres Des Vampires feel the need to force their black metal side and come off as limp-wristed in the process, Agathodaimon knows the supposed confines of their style and are well aware of what they can get away with. Higher Art of Rebellion always has a new trick up it's sleeve, even attempting a more ethnic-sounding number in "Novus Ordo Seclorum". Man, that opening riff is simpler than a rock, but it works great all the same. It's confounding at first how they manage to pull many of these experiments off, but restraint in all of the right places can make a world of difference.

I can't necessarily say that all of the quality material here was crafted with this exact vision in mind, as Higher Art of Rebellion can certainly drag at times and almost loses it's footing near the end. The production is also quite uneven, with the drums scaled uncomfortably far back in the mix. The guitars have a resonating, cavernous tone that fits well enough, but they often clash with the aforementioned overloud synths. The overacted harsh vocals can also be a lot to stomach at times, but the band generally knows when to shift the proceedings up before things begin to stagnate. The bonus tracks are both acceptable, although the supposed remix of "Body of Clay" features few - if any - alterations to the original's dour demeanor.

It can't dethrone Chapter III's silky-smooth delivery, but Higher Art of Rebellion doesn't necessarily need to. It fits in it's own primeval catacomb, intent to let the next unsuspecting listener wander in of their own accord. No need for flashy sleight of hand or inveigling orchestration, the dank atmosphere speaks for itself. Are you listening Dani? Dani?

Non-Lethal Black Metal from Germany - 90%

grady777, November 18th, 2006

On this, their second full-length CD, Agathodaimon have crafted a fine album that mixes plenty of melody, classic metal, black metal and gothic elements. To those of us who have delved deeply into the darkest depths of black metal, this German outfit would seem fairly safe and commercial. After being brutalized by such bands as Darkthrone and Kraft, Agathodaimon are a welcome relief and are brutal enough to satisfy my metal bloodlust.

With a run time of almost 75 minutes (this rerelease has some remixed extras), they might have been able to trim a bit of fat but there isn't a duff song on here. "Higher Art of Rebellion" is full of meaty riffs, fine caustic and clean vocals and some great keyboard work. With vague similarities to contemporaries like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth, Agathodaimon created a worthy entry into the gothic european black metal world.