Agent Fresco
Destrier
Long Branch Records
Release Date: Out Now
Review by Salla Harjula
This quirky quartet used to be a secret between me and the people of Iceland for ages. I stumbled upon their debut on a cold spring day on a Reykjavik side street years ago. That record store find was the beginning of quite the love story.
The debut was offbeat jazzy alt metal with a strong helping of piano. Now the metal has been stripped off all but completely, leaving just the surreal odd-timey beauty. The album is piano driven, with the most elegant percussion and everything enveloped in mesmerising vocals by their shaman of a singer Arnór Dan.
The songs gradually progress from light to heavier. But not heavy in your usual metal sense: it’s more intensity of feeling a lá Massive Attack. A lovely example is Bemoan; its piano swirls profoundly heavy yet fragile.
The album is long with 14 songs, though consistently beautiful. Still, the unearthly beauty would crystallise with more ruthless editing. Not that this gripe means much, as Destrier won’t leave the top spot on my playlist for months.
It’s pure witchery is what it is.
