Review / 200 Words Or Less
Agrimonia
Rites of Separation

In this day and age, if you're going to write 11-15 minute songs about death, decay and other moribund topics you need to make damn sure that they're interesting. This is usually achieved with liberal doses of the left hand of doom sprinkled throughout the riffage. On this front, Agrimonia succeeds quite well, and without playing the doom card. At times death, at times grind, at times even a little prog, Agrimonia have put together well-rounded fully realized album with Rites of Separation, their third full-length and first release on Southern Lord Recordings.

Agrimonia hail from Sweden, where everyone (okay, maybe not Robin Thicke) knows is the epicenter of all things death. Being from Sweden isn't what makes Agrimonia stand out - nor is it the fact that they're fronted by a female that can growl with the best of 'em. What makes Agrimonia stand out is their understanding of song structure and chord progression within the rather broad parameters of metal music. Every note, every downstroke is a deliberate, calculated and (despite song lengths) concise exercise in songwriting ability.