This 17-track instrumental album concludes a trilogy of improvised releases, following Mind Meld and Release Me. Agreement pushes their boundary-defying blend of blistering death metal and sprawling, freeform post-rock to new extremes, delivering cinematic brutality and storytelling without words through instinct-driven chemistry.
The album opens with "Wintry Earth," a bleak, droning descent marked by jagged time signatures, eerie guitar textures, and a brutal death metal finale that sets a tense, violent tone. "Whisper Flesh" follows, a raw improvisation where dissonant loops and jagged grooves shift between blast-heavy death metal and crushing, groove-laden choruses, spiraling into ritualistic heaviness.
"Dead Farm" and "Ceratops" offer contrasting explorations of heaviness. "Dead Farm" channels the primal force of SEPULTURA, seismic pulse of GOJIRA, and progressive sludge of MASTODON with groove-driven intensity. Meanwhile, "Ceratops" unfolds slowly from meditative calm into a cathartic, tectonic climax, showcasing the band’s dynamic range from muscular aggression to patient build.
"More Than Eight" dives into FERMENTOR’s signature improvised chaos, layering guitar loops instinctively over shifting rhythms. "Ghost Girl" ventures further into experimental territory, blurring meditative post-rock and thunderous groove metal with spiraling solos and ethereal textures.
"Roach God" captures raw vulnerability through imperfect, high-wire improvisation where mistakes become defining characteristics - an authentic snapshot of risk and discovery. "Rotted" is a relentless, riff-driven brutal death metal descent, free of loops and culminating in a monstrous breakdown forged in pure instinct.
"Deactivated" builds angular chaos with dissonant grooves, shifting time signatures, and a searing solo, exploding into a triumphant finale. The title track "Agreement" is a study in tension and release, layering palm-muted guitars over hypnotic loops, culminating in a crushing halftime outro, a seismic exhale of raw improvisation and controlled chaos.
"There With That" blends cinematic instincts and epic metal grandeur, balancing atmosphere and intensity with emotional clarity. "Human Caterpillar" immortalizes a glitching guitar pedal feedback during an improvisation, turning technical failure into a chaotic, avant-garde Easter egg and a tongue-in-cheek highlight released on April Fools’ Day.
"Transgression" blasts with thrash-rooted energy, tight cymbal chokes and groove-drenched riffs channeling the band’s early chemistry and old-school aggression. "Hides Behind Hands" offers a rare breath of melancholic reflection, trading brutality for beauty through shimmering loops and restrained percussion, inviting pause and introspection.
"Protohuman" is a kaleidoscopic hybrid of swirling loops, jagged rhythms, and pulverizing eruptions that merge FERMENTOR’s death-thrash roots with fearless experimentation. "Skybeam" unleashes a deafening blast of explosive energy, a chaotic tempest signaling the album’s climax.
Finally, "All Ashes" winds down with reflective melodies and subtle textures, a sonic exhale that gathers Agreement’s sprawling journey into a poignant, meditative farewell.
Agreement stands as a bold testament to FERMENTOR’s fearless embrace of improvisation, raw emotion, and genre-defying exploration. Through blistering death metal, expansive post-rock, and moments of beautiful imperfection, the album captures a journey of friendship, risk, and creative discovery. It invites listeners into a world where chaos and control coexist, forging a powerful, unspoken narrative that lingers long after the final note fades. This is more than an album. It is an immersive experience that challenges expectations and redefines the boundaries of instrumental music.
FERMENTOR is:
Dylan Marks - Drummer
Adam "Wally" Wollach - Guitarist