The solo black metal act, Labored Breath, conjures a style akin to what's seen in countries like France or Iceland. Dizzying, swirling arrangements juxtaposed with ambient passages fits right in with the likes of Aosoth or Svartidau∂i, yet both countries are a bit far from Labored Breath's home of Oakland, California. The one-man force brings a certain bleakness to the Bay Area. On the project's debut album, Dyspnea, and especially the track, "Agnosia," the music can pull the air from your lungs.
The nearly nine-minute track wavers between suffocating riffs and overwhelming atmospheric sections. It's enough to invoke the track's namesake in some moments. Agnosia, as a whole, is the inability to perceive sensory information. There are numerous types under this umbrella term. People can lose their ability to perceive the faces of loved ones or even their own. In other cases, people lose the ability to respond appropriately to stimuli in their environments or process other visual and tactile cues. It's certainly an apt title for Labored Breath's brand of black metal.
Listen to an exclusive stream of "Agnosia" now and pick up a copy of Dyspnea from Sentient Ruin Laboratories ahead of the album's release on April 2.
