#FirstListen The Spiritual Sound by Agriculture
This was recommended to me from a friend who was looking for a second opinion as to whether this was good black metal.
First listen, I sat there looking all confused. What on earth was this? My initial guess was that it was avant-garde metal - i.e., not interested in your rules. Maybe crossed with some really pugilistic death metal or hardcore.
I then relaxed into it being definitely black metal, but maybe with a bit of an avant-garde edge.
But then this thing just kept evolving. And evolving in a way that, whilst I couldn't predict what would happen next, I found myself feeling comfortable in its eclectic mix of polished, chaotic warmth.
And that's a bit special. It's a very warm and weirdly welcoming record. I can't quite put my finger on why this works but something like Sikth never really gelled with me. Or why the chaotic unpredictability of this is somehow joyous, whereas Unexpect was just ... obtuse.
The best summary I could come up with was
somehow simultaneously more than black metal and also not black metal. Whilst being totally black metal.
And that's where I'll leave it, I think, except to say: this is a great album and each time I hear it, I like it a little bit more.