Manchester’s most promising newcomer on the Post-Metal scene releases their first EP and gives you something to break your neck to and something to set your mind to.
Silence. Well, when do we ever really face silence? Never really, remember the famous line by Einstürzende Neubauten “Silence is not sexy at all, (silence is death)”. But when not abstracting the idea of “silence” to the max, one must admit that silence can be awkward and painful. The friends who do not have anything to say to each other anymore; the couple who after their golden wedding jubilee remain at home not talking; but also the problematic situation of people who are facing silence as they are being pushed out of society by others. Silence is a problem one has to face at a certain point in time.
Manchester-based post-metal threesome Agvirre took the idea of a concept album about silence a step further and interviewed people facing mental illness due to problems of self-notion, depression, grief or loss and tried to find out what they feel and think. Later on, these interviews were (partially) incorporated into the lyrics for their latest EP named alike. Silence” is a masterful example of how a good concept can make good music even better. The lyrics are not simple or easy-listening, for example “I wear this mask to face my friends / A fake smile painted like a muzzle” from “Muzzle & Mask” or “You own this abandonment behind your sadistic smile” from “Abandonment”. Sometimes there is a light of hope in them; nevertheless, the band screams the negative sides uncompromisingly into your face very often, showing the loneliness of people left-behind very harshly.
Musically, the short instrumental intro and the two long-tracks (each over 12 minutes) are really rewarding as you find you many elements that demand a second listen – from the string sections or the organ-like keys; starting with the blastbeat orgies and ending with the slow pausing breaths; screams to shake your bones or full-on choir parts that soothe any hurting wound. The three musicians show a lot of qualities that are important for a good post-metal band, the dynamics between loud and quiet, between anger and despair, the challenging moments of noise-infusion to the parts of semi-acoustic elements.
Not to be cheesy, but I do hope for Agvirre not to remain silent but productive as I expect their full-length debut to blow me away.
Note: If you are facing inner demons or feel troubled and unable to help yourself, please consider seeking help. There are lots of alternatives to find someone to talk you, a hand to reach out to or a person to hold on to.
