Album
Type: Full Length
Date
Released: 30/05/2014
Label: Wallace Records, Il Verso del Cinghiale,
Sangue
Dischi, Cheap Satanism, Panda Panda,
Overdrive Records, Cheap Satanism,
No Work
Record, Chaos Rural Records
‘Gravis Atque Gravior’ CD//DD//CS//LP track listing:
1. 1981
2. Right is not Right
3. Black Owl
4. A Song for the Different
5. Planets Conspiracy
6. Not About Who Rules
7. Keep Breathing Please
Agatha is
Claudia | drums
Pamela | bass/vocals
Review:
Agatha
is an Italian sludge/doom duo, led by Claudia (drummer) and Pamela (bass +
vocals). Though originally a three-piece, the band now operates as a bass and
drum duo in live settings. Whether their new material will still have guitar
tracks on the record remains to be seen. A cursory listen to ‘Gravis Atque
Gravior’ reveals a strong appreciation of the Savannah, GA heavy music
scene, with more than a few Kylesa and Baroness moments throughout the album.
This album is the group's first output on Canadian label Chaos Rural
Records.
Opener
"1981" lumbers forward with a rather straightforward stomp, only to
erupt in a frenzy of tribal drum beats and a more driving finish to the track.
This is a solid opener because it is brief and powerful, but also lets the
listener know what's in store for the rest of the album. One would be forgiven
for thinking that the riffs on this track all sound fairly similar. Whether
that is in the album's favor or not is entirely up to the listener, but it is
an observation worth noting as this pattern continues throughout the rest of
the album. "Right is not Right’ opens with a very Kylesa feel with
hi-hat-and-bass-drum beats accentuating the introductory riff.
However,
it's "A Song for the Different" wherein the band finally finds
themselves. The more pronounced bass guitar and tom-heavy drumming gives a
glimpse into what Agatha might sound like live in the current duo format.
Pamela's half-shouted-half-sung vocals recall early Kylesa and even a bit of
Black Tusk (RIP Athon) as she attempts to navigate the boundaries between
full-on screaming and the shouted vocals that are more common in Southern-style
sludge and doom (see: Rwake, Eyehategod, Black Tusk, early Baroness). This
track features some more melodic interplay between the instruments and more
dynamic songwriting than the first two tracks. When the bass break comes in
around 3 minutes, I dare you to not bang your head. This is
just the right amount of heavy and catchy.
"Planets
Conspiracy" continues in the vein of the previous song, and at this point
it becomes clear that the last half of the album is stronger and more varied
than the opening tracks might have led you to believe. The layered vocal attack
that begins at 2:37 introduces a new level of heaviness that had only
been alluded to in earlier songs. At this point I found myself wishing one of
these songs had opened the record; "1981" is a strong opener but is
far from the standout of the record, and by the time the drone-y uptempo clamor
of "Keep Breathing Please" fades out, Agatha has taken you to a
number of different places in a relatively short amount of time.
This
album will grow on you. That is not to say it isn't an excellent record, but
rather that it is at times unfocused and sometimes falls into the trap of
sounding repetitive as have some of the Savannah-area bands who have influenced
Agatha (Zoroaster, for one). Agatha wear their influences on their sleeves, and
the moments when they push through to something new are frequent enough that I
know they are capable of something truly striking.
Words by:
Ben Hutcherson
You
can pick up a copy here
For more
information:
Listen
to Agatha here: https://agatha.bandcamp.com/
Like
them on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Agatha/25665007637
Follow their label
here: https://www.facebook.com/chaosruralrecords
