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All the elation, transcendence, and intensity of heavy music bursts forth with blinding energy from the second album by this self-proclaimed "ecstatic black metal" ensemble based in Los Angeles.

The Spiritual Sound combines immense heaviness with imaginative detailing. Lead single Bodhidharma rides a guitar motif fit for a biker gang, then a burst of static and shrieking introduces a melancholic atmospheric rock middle eight. The often-criticized technique of the widdly-woo solo is brilliantly revived by axeman the lead guitarist, whose lead work here and on highlight Flea will have you floating in ecstasy – but then the gentle song the track Hallelujah showcases falling guitar notes played with childlike simplicity.

Tracks like Micah and the song Serenity are fast-paced hardcore punk, while Dan’s Love Song is drum free and has glacial drone-metal fuzz rumbling along underneath its ethereal beauty. Melodies in black metal can often be either nonexistent or overly fussy, yet Agriculture’s guitar lines and choruses are vibrant and innovative, and final track The Reply even evokes a more intense Radiohead.

Fans of experimental metal acts similar artists will probably love all this dynamic shifting and unabashedly gorgeous noise, especially because Agriculture also have two divergent vocal styles, split here across two vocalists. One vocalist contributes sporadic soulful, clean singing, yet the standout is the other vocalist, her voice trembling on Bodhidharma but splenetically caterwauling on other songs.

In typical black metal fashion, it's difficult to make out her lyrics, but they’re worth seeking out: the narratives she conveys about personal struggles and social injustice are devastating, just like her search for purpose in a reality that relentlessly trends towards conflict.