Album Review : Latitudes – Agonist
- Written by Richard Wink
I warmed up for this album by listening to Robbie Williams’ much maligned masterpiece Rudebox. Why? Because I wanted to make my ears sensitive, I wanted them to be soaked in electro sugar pop. I wanted them to be unprepared for an audio onslaught. I wanted to be marooned on the opposite end of the spectrum. Then I lit up and chilled for a few moments, taking in George Clinton’s ‘Atomic Dog’. I’m now beyond the spectrum and into a new galaxy.
Ok, I’m there, in the wrong head space. Gimme some metal, fix me some doom.
Agonist is the debut album from Latitudes, if you want some idea where they stand. Well, they walk in hell with the likes of Neurosis, though also glide with the same black eagle swoop as Hydra Head bands such as Isis and Cavity. Opening with the descent into the black hole of ‘Myth Cathexis’ the band blend crushing Neolithic crunch with bombastic theatrics; dealing in brutalist shredding, the track plods boldly stomping giant steps, causing absolute havoc.
‘Antechamber’ opens to stampeding drumming, before Adam Symonds’ vocals introduce Armageddon. Symonds, the former vocalist of Eden Maine gives the track gravitas with his understated wail. The inclusion of a guest vocalist is interesting for Latitudes, since they are primarily an instrumental band. Their music seems tailor made for a gravel throated Viking front man; imagine if they hired a full time vocalist, what a force they could be. If there is one problem with instrumental metal groups it is that you can only admire the heaviness for so long. Soon the music becomes boring, drawn out background music for obese greasy metallers who sit In front of their X-Boxes playing first person shooters all day.
‘Flluxes Of The Womb’ again is ominous, domineering and tramples everything in its path, this is a demonstration of power, visceral and unyielding. ‘Steppe & Veld’ is far more introspective; pondering in the wilderness, mist floating over a lake in the midnight hour. ‘Braille’ is the most accessible song of the album, sounding similar to Blood Mountain-era Mastodon bringing polyrhythmic riffing and sordid rhythms. ‘Hunting Dance’ sees the long overdue reappearance of Adam Symonds, there is more of a grove to this song, that kicks in around the three minute mark. Ending with a bang ‘Agonist’ is an anthemic wrecking ball of spite, there are more head splitting crashes here then there are during a destruction derby.
The addition of a guest vocalist prevents this album from becoming a drawn out spectacle of riffs. Though the instrumental tracks suffer from what I would call the ‘Orion Theory’ (‘Orion’ being the weakest song on Master of Puppets purely because it is an instrumental song). Instrumental metal is flawed because it lacks a voice; the front man is ultimately the final ingredient for a metal song, without the voice, no matter how good the musicianship the song is left lacking. It doesn’t matter if your vocalist is demonic like Glen Benton or booming like Ronnie James Dio, any voice is better than none. Unfortunately, unless these guys see the light and hook up with a vocalist I doubt they will ever become successful. Never will they headline stages at Donington or Wacken.