#blackgaze

So many ‘blackgaze’ bands get stuck in a formula, loops of noise, greater noise, even more absolutely mental noise and then back down again – but not Agriculture. The band’s self-titled full-length debut was intriguing in its dynamism, how it structured its intensity. There’s so little here that is predictable or conventional, and that makes it all the more engrossing and cinematic. 

5/24/26

Asunojokei

Island

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Japanese metal "blackgaze" genre. This is their 2022 album that's most popular so I wanted to start with this. The vocals get a bit annoying, but they have a great melodic presence. This is where they really shine. It tastes like green tea in a plastic cup sitting alone eating properly spiced Yakitori.

A debut, a sound decently established; black metal foundations with shoegaze sentimentality and art (some might say post) rock drama. But The Circle Chant was also rather far from the full Agriculture experience. The political perspective isn’t really audible, the experiments less explorative, the record’s impact as a whole too imperfectly executed.