Agathodaimon – Higher Art of Rebellion – Review

Agathodaimon

Higher Art of Rebellion (Nuclear Blast)
by Paul Lee

When I picked up their debut, Blacken the Angel, it seemed great things were in store for these German black metal fiends. The fiery debut that found a fine mix between black, death, and Goth metal. Naturally, my hopes were high with the arrival of this new CD. Alas, ’twas not to be the same. Some of the momentum has been lost – an epic album in the same vein as Blacken, but lacking the ferocity and excitement. Agathodaimon plays it terribly safe, leaning too much in an atmospheric direction. It’s as if they smoked too much dope and diluted the danger and manicness that makes bands like Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir so intriguing. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy this album, but it becomes black metal background music. It seems Agathodaimon have gotten too comfortable with their style and newfound success and would rather sound like Evereve than Emperor.
(PO Box 43618 Philadelphia, PA 19106)