ArsGoatia made a strong first impression with Hiding Amongst Humans in 2023, orienting themselves towards the more scorching and direct variants of black metal while also hinting at some slower and more ominous atmosphere. Considering two of its members had some from the more sprawling and atmosphere oriented Our Survival Depends On Us, these flourishes didn’t come as a surprise but it did feel like the debut was only scratching the surface of how ArsGoatia could fuse these elements with their raging black metal foundation. Two years later Agitators of Hysteria has arrived, and it expands significantly on the elements its predecessor introduced. Not only are the songs longer, but there’s a lot more interplay between the different sides of their sound that allows the more unique characteristics to flourish. There are some pacing issues on the second half, but this is still a compelling listen that showcases just what the band can do.
Initially it seems as though ArsGoatia is on track to deliver much of the same pummeling as on their previous album, considering that “Anointing of the Sick” comes in fast with blasting drums and scorching riffs. These first few minutes are familiar but there are already some variations to the drum and guitar work that stand out, giving some nuance to the attack. It’s at the halfway point that the band showcases some of the elements they’ve expanded upon for Agitators of Hysteria, as they slow things down significantly and let the atmosphere get thicker and more sinister. This becomes a theme for much of the album, as there’s a regular back and forth between the slower, brooding passages that get under your skin and the direct, aggressive ones. Even shorter tracks like “Coronation Ritual” which seem more straightforward at first have some dips into haunting melodies that mesh well with the scorching foundation and give ArsGoatia a bit more depth. It’s not necessarily a huge leap, but tracks like “Empty Eyes Creation” and “Hunting the Nephilim” have sections that really stick with you over repeat listens. But the twelve minute “The Beating Heart is a Lonely Hunter” is where the group showcases something genuinely different that comes through like a combination of some of what Our Survival Depends On Us was doing but still fused with ArsGoatia’s core sound. On this track things progress at a methodical, almost ritualistic tempo, with the guitars having a looser and more fluid feel until close to the end. It has some mesmerizing moments, though does run just a bit long and the decision to put the most straightforward track right after it does make for some uneven pacing.
The vocals are another area that have gone through significant transformation since the debut, as there is a lot more singing and chanting. A few of the songs hinted at this previously, but early on Agitators of Hysteria showcases its harsh and clean elements to full effect. “Anointing of the Sick” spends much of its first half with razor sharp screams that feel like they can cut right through you, but as the tempo slows down things shift towards lower pitched singing that towers over the recording with an ominous presence. There are a lot of different styles to the singing, as sometimes it comes through in more of a shouted form while the approach on “Hunting the Nephilim” reminds me a lot of Alexander von Meilenwald (The Ruins of Beverast). “The Beating Heart is a Lonely Hunter” also brings in some female spoken word and moaning that has more of an Archgoat feel to it, contributing an additional layer of variety that makes that particular track stand out in different ways.
In two years ArsGoatia has expanded upon their sound significantly, pulling in more slower burning moments that get under your skin and stick with you. The longest track does feel a bit overstretched and I would have preferred its placement to be a bit earlier as it does make the end drag a bit, but as a whole this album gives listeners plenty of standout moments. With the nature of how scoring works on this site the end result may be the same, but this sophomore outing from ArsGoatia does edge out its predecessor and makes this a band worth following. Agitators of Hysteria is available from Ván Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg