Agarthia


Trikala (Thessaly)
Black Metal
Active:
2001-unknown

In esoteric legendry, Agarthia (or rather Agartha) is the name of a mysterious kingdom allegedly located at the center of the Earth’s core, or alternatively – according to Theosophists – situated underneath the mountainous regions of Tibet. Much like the myths of Atlantis or Shambala (of which Agartha is frequently identified with), this legend has been embraced by various religious, esoteric and even political exponents – not seldom of Traditionalist and/or National Socialist background. Whether or not the one-man black metal band AGARTHIA supports such beliefs or not remains outside the scope of our inquiry, but as fodder for Metal lyrics and music it is an intriguing subject matter.

Founded by Saturno (ALASTOR, RAVENBANNER, SATURNO), AGARTHIA released one sole demo recording on Avalon Hellas/Avalon Productions, entitled “Between Eiglophian Mountains…” (2001) before dissolving into obscurity. They also provided, perhaps posthumously, a handful of tracks to various compilation tapes in the 2000s. Stylistically AGARTHIA can be categorized as discordant and noisy, yet epic-inclined underground Black Metal that requires a little bit of patience to be fully appreciated. Not for the faint-hearted!

Compilation appearances:
* Endlösung Vol. 1 [Cass, Comp, Limited (50): Eichenglaub Propaganda, 2007]
* Hellenic Vanguard – NSBM Weltanschaung [CD, Comp: Counter Attack/Resistance Hellas Magazine, 2004]

d i s c o g r a p h y :

Between Eiglophian Mountains - Demo (Cassette) 2001 - Avalon Hellas / Avalon Productions (-)
(Studio unknown, May 2001.)
Details: Single-sided cassette, pro-printed black/white j-card, limited edition: 500 copies.

Reissues:
TRACKLIST:
Wrath of the Gods
As Northstar Lights My Path
The Legions of Pride
Creatures into the Woods
LINE-UP:
Saturno (vocals, all instruments)
As one of several creative outlets of Saturno (ALASTOR, SATURNO), AGARTHIA ties in with the rest of this Trikala-based multi-instrumentalist’s ouevre, translating into gratifyingly raw and under-produced Black Metal à la “Les Legions Noires” that swiftly and mercilessly weeds out any possibility of “Between Eiglophian Mountains” ever reaching a wider audience. However, behind the harsh external façade hides a deeper appreciation for the epic and monumental that only reveals itself to those who manage to ride out the initial storm of white-noise and fervid rhythmic onslaughts. Perhaps we’re giving too much credit here – after all, most of the time this demo gravitates dangerously close to pure noise – but when the triumphantly insurgent main riff finally arrives around half-way into the third track “The Legions of Pride” (you’ll know when you hear it), you’ll be ready to ride across the mountainside and slay whatever comes in your way.

Written by Johan Pettersson




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