#VAGABONDZREVIEW: AGARWAEN – CHANNEL: LUNACY

Hello everyone! It’s review time and believe me, this is the most special one I’ve ever written.

This band contacted me in order to offer their upcoming album for a review. I got curious and confused same time when read the words “horror metal”. What was I to listen to? A morbid stuff filled with fearing laughs and impulsive sounds as we all hear in horror movies? Still, I decided to take a risk… had I done it in vain or my feeling turned out to be completely opposite? You are about to find the answer!

Firstly, let’s dip into the biography of Agarwaen.

Biography:

· 2006 Agarwaen was founded.

· 2010 "Vrykolakas" EP was released but the band ceased to exist the same year.

· 2019 Agarwaen was resurrected and released the first album Dottore I with members from Voidfallen and Torchia. The album got great reviews abroad, but wasn’t the right style for Vryko.

· 2020 Vryko, the founder/songwriter/guitarist of the band started the search for members for live shows and for the next album. The hardest part was to find the right singer. Multiple vocalists wanted to join the band but even the best ones couldn’t handle the horrifying lyrics on the album. Only three days before the vocal recordings, Vryko himself claimed his place as the vocalist, which turned out to be the absolute best choice for the band.

· 2021 The second album Channel: Lunacy was recorded.

· 2022 Agarwaen started playing gigs with the new line-up.

· 2023 The second album will be released 28th of February and Agarwaen will tour as much as possible to gain visibility.

Agarwaen - Channel: Lunacy (set to be released on February 28)

Our second album, Channel: Lunacy, was produced by Teemu Aalto (Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum). The album is an introduction to a fictive cult called the “Bloodstained”, a group that recruits lunatics and other sickos to its forces. Hence, the lyrics will take you to the darkest places of the human mind. Musically, we bring a strong mixture of different metal styles to the table. Influences from death metal, black metal, thrash metal and even power metal can be heard. The album will be self-published.

We have already composed our third album and are looking for a record label to publish it in the near future!

The thing to have caught my attention at lightning speed was the appearance of Teemu Aalto who’d produced all my favorite albums of Insomnium. That fact gave a birth of even stronger amount of curiosity and unexpectedness. Moreover, the mixture of metal subgenres mentioned by the band gave food for thought – could the album turn out majestic and not even dreadful? Let’s find it out then!

Channel: Lunacy contains 9 songs which we will go through immediately.

(ec)Static

The opening track of the album features so-called spoken intro – let’s imagine we’re currently listening to a piece of breaking news on TV. The news is not really good and we can feel it with alarming keyboard melody joining the game. It’s ridiculous, but in case we remove the reporter’s voice, the melody would make an impression of tranquil and relaxing piece of music. On the contrary, when I’m listening to the combination of voices and instrumental, the anxiety level rises dramatically. Moreover, the things are getting way more disturbing with the voices interplay accompanied with constant and rhythmic keyboards pattern that naturally takes over.

I can’t say I enjoy spoken intros at all. To my mind, there’re only few cases where this style suits the music, but mostly, they’re distracting. I always feel like – oh, when the music is going to start? However, being objective, I can make a conclusion that the spoken intro is like a bomb that might go off any moment, and the moment it’s finally exploded was Channel Of Lunacy.

Channel Of Lunacy

WHAT A DAMN GREAT START!!

*ecstatic screams*

Now, when I’ve put myself together, I’d like to express my admiration to one band called Agarwaen, because they are pure f’n adrenaline! After a little bit depressing and anxious intro, the splashing blast like that was something the album needed. It’s wild, mind-blowing, epic, and tearing – Channel Of Lunacy demonstrates great Insomnium influence coming to life with every microsecond, and namely I’m speaking of the following features – couple of deep and thunderous beats supported by dominating and calling-up lead guitar, soon dissolving into the stable and kicking tune, where the tempo gets wildly accelerated and the lead guitar remains invincible.

The state of a triumph has taken over me. This is the music I admire. If you’ve read my earlier posts, you must know that exactly. It was truly massive, unconquerable beginning, and I’m already yearning for more.

Two vocal techniques are used in Channel Of Lunacy verse – growl and scream. I find screams selectively captivating, as long as this screaming technique is able to make the sound intensive and attention-grabbing. To emphasize this effect, the moments, where screams are dominating, are highlighted with sharpening strokes performed on guitar. To my mind, this feature works the best way to make the part even more fierce.

Generally speaking, the vocals style that calls to mind is surely Insomnium, excepting scream inserts that are undoubtedly the part of Agarwaen style. However, the growls sound much like Niilo Sevänen of Insomnium. The same power, depth, that thoroughly absorbs you…

The entire song is bright, incredibly catchy and kicking. It awakes the memories of Children of Bodom’s Alexi Laiho, who made every song remarkable with his vocals technique. Here, in Channel Of Lunacy chorus, I notice the same appeal expressing rage, disgust and power Children Of Bodom songs were filled with.

The instrumental bridge posterior to chorus has the tang of Children of Bodom and Norther – the bands become famous for their remarkable keyboard bridges – what naturally evokes images of Finnish metal scene in the end of 90s-00’s. If it was me who was asked about the genre of Agarwaen, I’d definitely have said melodic death metal. Old good Finnish melodeath that awakens your inner world with enormously rapid tempo in combination with remarkable lead guitar/keys melody.

The first part of the song has mainly told me a lot about the band’s influence, while the second one opens a new chapter of the album. It happens when the thrashy part abruptly terminates to begin a distracted part, features keyboard melody that obviously makes a break of insanity (in a good way) that we’ve heard before.

Undoubtedly, Agarwaen can surprise in the most pleasant way. In this passage, I’d like to touch the combine incompatible principle that is used by songwriters to make their song standout and even unique. Channel Of Lunacy is an example of the song, where the songwriters have succeeded carrying out an experiment with adding melodic part that, on the first sight, doesn’t suit the song at all. However, when listen accurately, especially the transition to the last chorus, I made up my mind. It’s different, refreshing, and totally amazing digression, that levels up the entire song! By the way, this instrumental part has much in common with outro part of D.S.M. (Stam1na, Elokuutio, 2016). The sound reminded me the silent raindrops slowly falling down to the ground.

Finally, the last chorus – that has certainly sounded more epic after the digression part – accomplishes the song. Those blast beats in the end were kicking!

Mass Hypnosis

Oh yeah, that guitar riff! Have to say, I also didn’t expect such beginning for the next song on the album. Another influence I can pick out in Agarwaen music is Nightwish – the moment when a heavy and simple guitar riff doing its business and the keys are smoothly joining the game. Also, the same technique is widely used by Sabaton. Mass Hypnosis appears to be a cool power metal song, at least now. Can a horror metal band be that way many-sided? Oh yeah, it turns out it can!

The guitar plus keys part naturally takes my breath away. There was a time when I was listening to the tones of power metal and every piece seemed perfect. As the verse starts, screaming vocals doesn’t disturb the listening process, and to my mind, the conclusion can be made that power metal is the most versatile subgenre out of all. You can put literally any element there, and believe me, it would sound wild.

However, the power metal mightiness has soon replaced into death metal domination. With sharp and pulsating riff, Mass Hypnosis now has its aggressive side that is same enchanting.

The bouquet of equally rationed melodic and heavy sides of Mass Hypnosis works the best possible way for the album, showing both states Agarwaen works in. Scream vocal technique is the ideal option for this one – making heavy part naturally shrinking and balancing the mildness of melodic one at the same time.

The most intensive part of Mass Hypnosis, that flips over everything we’ve heard before, is the final one, where screams become supported by kicking blast beats and disturbing keys melody. It’s anxious part that makes everything trembling. This is exactly the epicenter of emotions, naturally blasting the rest of Mass Hypnosis.

Lobotomy

After the shrinking and disturbing outro of Mass Hypnosis, I’m surely waiting for some catchy and distracting part to come in. And yeah, here is comes in unexpected (again) way!

The entering tunes of Lobotomy are nothing but bass that draws into some background keys melody keeping the spirit of deep and dark bass sound. I find this kind of intro incredibly captivating and absorbing, and I’m sure this one would be perfect for a live show of Agarwaen to enter the stage for the encore. This tune is slowly gathering some power to then explode with some massive riff.

Actually, not massive but so damn kicking! I couldn’t foresee such outcome, Agarwaen surely doesn’t get back to basics with their songwriting attitude! My mindset was all about some death metal riff in Stam1na style, but not Rammstein. Mind you, I was a big lover of Rammstein music since my early childhood and the guitar riff of Lobotomy awakens my memories of Herzeleid album that kept the spirit of rough, torn and simple guitar riffs that worked truly massive, especially at the live show.

The song presents a huge range of spoken vocals supported by moody instrumentals. The entire combination of the elements creates darkened and heavy atmosphere that lead guitar impulses help to keep. As I already told, I’m not really into spoken vocals, but it feels they are needed here because the song hasn’t blasted yet.

It pops out with mighty screams and sticking guitar riff that will surely take advantage on moshpits, driving the audience crazy. It’s turns out to be chorus part then.

The element of horror metal opens the gates of madness with impulsive guitar solo and fearful laughs on the background. However, Lobotomy’s sharpness is compensated by tremendous amounts of melodics expressive Finnishness.

Graveyard Shift

The beginning of Graveyard Shift is the collective image of Finnishness, expressed in Channel: Lunacy. Right before, the band was mostly surprising with roughness and oppositely melodics, balancing them throughout the song structure, not giving the chance to feel their entire abilities.

Graveyard Shift is the powerful and fearless demonstration of melodic side of Channel: Lunacy. The main idea of the song exhilarates and takes my breath away. It’s weightless, fresh, and totally epic what lets me draw a parallel with Amorphis music, that’s the brightest compilation of such controversial features as heaviness and lightness, power and weakness, gentleness and brutality. The entering to the main idea reminds me of On The Dark Waters (Amorphis - Halo, 2022). What makes it so similar? There’s no doubt that the combination of fresh and wide sound of share totally changes the perception of the song, making it have more space for the other instruments to manifest. And namely these features of snare make magic. We hear glowing and outstanding lead guitar tunes that perfectly complement the airiness of snare and therefore make the sound complete. What makes me headbang, is of course the tempo that was made relatively fast here. It’s curious that Collapsing Words of Insomnium (Shadows of the Dying Sun, 2014) has perfectly same melodic intro. After I’ve compared both versions, I can claim that they’re almost identical. But I’m sure it’s related to nothing but Teemu Aalto’s producing background.

The thunderous tune melts into voice synth sound that are surely adding the pinch of dreaminess then growing to simple but thunderous and kicking riff that is surely preparing for the verse to start.

The verse is keeping the mood of main idea, although the only appearance of melodics is the voice synth sound that greatly balances the roughness of scream.

Graveyard Shift doesn’t get me impression of horror metal at all! It’s pure melodeath that I love, and furthermore I hear the shades of folk metal in this song. All those guitar tunes and screams bring me memories of Ensiferum and Folkrim – two great representatives of Finnish folk metal. I find it in common that the guitar riff in verse is rapid enough, supporting fast drums. This impulsive feature can be also noticed in specialized folk metal bands.

Call Of The Void

This album gets more and more exiting with every song coming! Oh my god, I could listen to those riffs for eternity. I must claim, that the guitar sound keeps changing throughout the album – once it’s death metal sharp tunes and then wideness and might of power metal. The entire sound palette makes me think about Nightwish and the powerful orchestrations they encompass.

Even the bridge joining the main part to the verse is written in Nightwish style, carrying loud and pulsating guitar riff. Additionally, the sound panorama trick that is often used by Nightwish (the exact part when the guitars sound “closer”) perfectly suits Call Of The Void atmosphere.

And now, another influence I can pick out is nothing but Finnish industrial metal band Turmion Kätilöt. Alike Turmion Kätilöt, Agarwaen decided to blast their verse with impulsive and rhythmic guitar riff that then – thanks to energetic high hat – creates dance music vibes all around. Unusual element for horror metal, but honestly, who cares if it goes marvelous with the scream vocals?

Agarwaen amazes me with the range of elements they used in one album only!

Delirium

Pulsating and gleaming keys in the beginning are surely telling us that something massive is around the corner. With shadowy and dusty accompaniment, it gets more and more intensive.

Now some serious thrash metal vibes! Wow, those fast riffs with surely be loved by live audience. Although the lead vocals might seem to be way too intensive time after time, the choir backing vocal performed in chorus can make it more balanced.

In case of Delirium I’d rather prefer more instrumental parts than spoken vocals. Instrumentals in thrash metal are the main mood driver making pure f’n adrenaline all around.

In the middle of the song it might seem that the other song started playing, and it’s still something I like Agarwaen for. It’s the second semantical part of Delirium, reopening the gates of mighty power metal to return. Combining different elements is never easy and working but they are the pure masters of those techniques. This part appeared to melt into power metal with the wide and catchy guitar riff and oh yeah! Even a guitar solo that makes amazing retreat from the main idea. The interplay between thrash and power metal is surely the brightest example of Agarwaen’s easy driving their songs.

Third semantical part of Delirium is something I could never expect having listened to the first part of Channel: Lunacy – clean vocals! And how have they managed to make it all working so smoothly? That the real question but everything I’ve heard in Delirium made me speechless.

Delirium turned out to be an amazing thrash metal song. The brightest part is undoubtedly chorus, that includes a great deal of choirs emphasizing rushing and torn guitar riff.

Death Row

As for me, the song name Death Row is often followed in countless death metal songs. I have to check out what to expect from Agarwaen’s Death Row.

And again something really new – unplugged intro soon followed by thick and powerful entering guitars. The sound is soon settling to classic melodic death metal riffs and melodies that are really nice to listen to. The interplay of growls and screams are spreading the sound field with the combination of different but perfectly suiting elements. The melodics, expressed by guitars and keyboards are playing significant role in Death Row making it trembling and moving.

Death Row has definitely turned out to be a great death metal song, having its very own shred solo that takes the entire Channel: Lunacy to the new level. It’s the curious mixture of melodic death, death and power metal that makes great contribution to the album’s image. Being always ready to experiment is something I do appreciate in some bands.

I would also like to mention the significant role keyboard plays. When listening to Death Row next time, just try to mentally remove all keyboards parts. In my opinion it would have been heavier to withstand the attack of disturbing instrumental part. But keys are kinda driver of those crazy riffs – they are making imaginary chapters for us to get used to sharp transitions in the song structure. Wonderful element that always works, but it works especially good in Agarwaen’s new music.

Bloodstained

I personally expect Bloodstained to be the collective image for all previous bangers we’ve heard. I hear dozens of melancholy already in the beginning of the song, so old good melodeath has returned.

It’s the first time when I can call screams mighty… Is it the effect of powerful instrumental part? Possibly, as far as the guitars are kept being powerful and loud.

The insets of keyboard bridges like here in Bloodstained is the perfect element inherent to melodic death metal music. This song turns out to be truly epic with the dominating scream part that make us really close to the chorus of the banger.

The silent and unplugged part in the middle of Bloodstained is a wonderful element to peacefully finish so many sided album. The mood radically changes here to heavier and more powerful side that be even more epic as the end of the album gets closer and closer. Hit chorus of Bloodstained in something ecstatic, that’s why it can be a perfect choice either for opening or ending song.

Conclusion

When the band had offered me to review their album, I had mixed feelings about the genre of horror metal. Beforehand, horror metal was something ridiculous and incomprehensible to me, with weird effects, song patterns, fearing laughter emphasized with resonating and impulsive keyboard melodies… Can horror metal be same enchanting and captivating as power metal, death metal or even thrash metal? Now I can answer – it DOES can. Thanks to Agarwaen’s Channel:Lunacy, I’ve reviewed my opinion on horror metal as a subgenre of heavy metal.

Why you may ask? The first thing that comes to my mind is nothing but diversity. Although Agarwaen mentioned their influences from different metal genres, by no means thought I it would have turned that way…

In some cases, or even most cases, the mixing up method doesn’t work at all, only messing up the song and turning it into colorful and resonating garbage. Only handful of bands I had experience reviewing and listening, were able to freely operate the different genres in an album/song. The brightest example is Cyan Kicks, who tend to add disco, pop, and industrial elements to their music not sticking to one genre only. What Agarwaen made on their Channel: Lunacy, was something I’ve never heard before.

Harmony, balance, and of course combine incompatible principle that has become an icing on the cake. That’s what Channel: Lunacy is about. Now, I’ll go for a several important points to make you get better idea of the album.

Songwriting, Producing and Influences

Needless to say, I was pretty sceptic about the beginning of the album, especially the spoken intro, but the exact moment when Channel of Lunacy popped up, my world had turned upside down. It turned out to be the music I always adored and moreover, there were more riveting elements to learn and take into account.

Channel: Lunacy is the album made far beyond the musical traditions. Neither overused song structures nor predictable elements will you stumble into while listening to the record – besides, the record will be surprising you overall. With every song coming, you will pick out your favorite elements, starting from stricking Rammstein-style riffs, ending with lingering orchestration loved by Nightwish. One will be overwhelmed (as I did) with sudden appearance of Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum taking lead, the other will dip into Amorphis-like dark but gleaming tunes. And the icing on the cake will surely be thrash metal riffs featured on Delirium. Channel: Lunacy has been the most versatile album I’ve heard so far, no doubts.

I would like to express my admiration to the talented team of musicmakers who has made incredibly precise and detailed work on the album.

The sound went massive, professional and enchanting. The rhythm section balance plays significant role in building the entire impression of Channel: Lunacy, making is dynamic, thrilling, and moving. A good example of balances implied is Graveyard Shift, with airy and powerful atmosphere, Channel Of Lunacy, enriched with thrilling lead guitars, and of course Call Of The Void that has exiting orchestrations.

Guitar riffs

Throughout Channel: Lunacy, the guitars have been one of the main mood drivers making the songs stand out and stricking, though they keep being common. I’d like to highlight great Insomnium and Omnium Gatherum influence that can be picked out throughout the record. Moreover, I noticed Rammstein (Lobotomy), Nightwish (Mass Hypnosis) and Turmion Kätilöt vibes (Call Of The Void) across the album. Those songs have striking sharp and blasting guitar riffs that builds the impression of Agarwaen’s heavy side.

On the contrary, the same songs include the great amount of melodics that are perfectly expressed by lead guitar. That helps to present another side of Channel: Lunacy, and namely expressiveness, open-heart and enchantment.

Was I speaking of the same album when putting all characteristics? No doubt, it goes to one and only Channel: Lunacy and its unique imagery. This is a real find for a picky listener who loves finding new elements with every re-listening.

Channel: Lunacy is certainly one of the most extraordinary and unusual albums I got to listen to. I found myself stuck to every element Agarwaen included in their record, wondering how they mixed so different things in single record.

If you feel bored with mediocre song structures and predictable aftermaths, Channel: Lunacy is the album to surprise you. There’re no song you’d like to skip, every single one of them is a pure individual that will make you feel ecstatic, especially, this effect can be leveled up at the live shows.

So you're here! Thank you for reading this especially long review. I hope you like it :)