The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse – THE SECRET
“Agnus Dei” Review

It is no secret that these four nihilistic horsemen of the Apocalypse known as The Secret are one of the most brutal bands to walk among this wretched earth. This time they bring “Agnus Dei”, their fourth full length coming out by the hand of Southern Lord. A true ode to the apocalypse able to eclipse the sun, turning the earth into a desolate place banished by plagues and death.

Produced by the hand of Kurt Ballou at Godcity Studios,”Agnus Dei” shows us a more terrific, vicious and menacing The Secret album to date, blending in a amazing and perfect way the most dark elements from crust, grindcore and black metal. Maybe it’s just me but this time i get the feeling that these guys might have been locked in their rooms listening to nothing else than black metal albums. The presence of tremolo picking riffs and blastbeats are constant along “Agnus Dei” and yet they are so well executed that im pretty sure that “Agnus Dei” it will make the envy out of most good black metal bands out there.

Kicking off with the self titled track “Agnus Dei” the floor immediately cracks over our feet and we are swollen into the depths of Hell. The fierce blackened attack that floods our ears instantly causes us visions of death, desolation and despair as our skin and flesh melts away from the bones. Distributing 13 songs in the space of 43 minutes, this vile sonic attack continuously bombs us with shards of the most blackened and vicious bile with tracks like “May God Damn All Of Us”, “Violent Infection”, “Daily Lies”, “The Bottomless Pit” and “Obscure Dogma” that barelly last more than two minutes long, where tenebrous riffage and sharpened blast beats lurk around every corner. On the other hand, tracks like “Geometric Power”, “Post Mortem Nihilist Est”, “Love Your Enemy” or the epic “Heretic Temple” have that really The Secret characteristic sound filled with that negative energy that create a cold chill crawl over your spine. But this time their sound is more corrosive and sharp as a rusty knife. The whole negativity endorsed on “Agnus Dei” is really moving towards one way, devastating everything and everyone on its passage, leaving nothing but bones and dust behind. Yet in the middle of this blasphemous wave of destruction, the best is saved for the end with the closing track “Seven Billion Graves” that holds a hidden track, that in my modest opinion, is one of the best tracks made by the band. Epic, dark and majestic, exhaling catastrophe in every single note. It’s the coronation of Death. The best, and perfect, way to close this magnificent album by The Secret.

In overall, with “Agnus Dei,” The Secret reveal an even more dark and blackened facet capable of melting your skin with just one note. The band unveils an array of very well achieved tracks with a personality of its own and extremely powerful as they disassociate from each other with success without making the album to lose its integrity making “Agnus Dei” one of the most exciting albums of the year. If you loved “Solve Et Coagula” then wait until you heard this one. “Agnus Dei” will be released on 23 of October under the dark shadow of Southern Lord. Be sure to not sleep on one of the best albums of the year.

With a UK/EU release date of 5 November now confirmed for the release of “Agnus Dei”, Brooklyn Vegan has previewed an exclusive track of “Agnus Dei”. Listen to it below:

The Secret will continue to spread terror as they will be on Europe touring supporting Converge, Touché Amoré and A Storm of Light in November and December.

Check out “Agnus Dei” track-list and tour dates right after the jump…

Agnus Dei Track Listing:

1. Agnus Dei
2. May God damn all of us
3. Violent Infection
4. Geometric Power
5. Post Mortem Nihil Est
6. Daily Lies
7. Love Your Enemy
8. Vermin of dust
9. Darkness I Became
10. Heretic Temple
11. The Bottomless Pit
12. Obscure Dogma
13. Seven billion graves

THE SECRET European Tour w/ Converge, Touché Amoré, A Storm of Light:

11/23/2012 Essigfabrik – Koln, Germany
11/24/2012 Magasin 4 – Brussels, Belgium
11/25/2012 Koko – London, UK
11/26/2012 02 Academy 2 – Birmingham, UK
11/27/2012 Arts Centre – Colchester, UK
11/28/2012 Classic Grand – Glascow, Scotland
11/29/2012 Academy 2 – Manchester, UK
11/30/2012 The Button Factory – Dublin, Ireland
12/01/2012 Concorde 2 – Brighton, UK
12/02/2012 L’Astrolabe – Orleans, France
12/03/2012 Tivoli – Utrecht, Holland
12/04/2012 Fabrik – Hamburg, Germany
12/05/2012 Brew House – Gothenburg, Sweden
12/06/2012 Rockefeller – Oslo, Norway
12/07/2012 Strand – Stockholm, Sweden
12/09/2012 Nosturi – Helsinki, Finland
12/11/2012 Loppen – Copenhagen, Denmark
12/12/2012 SO36 – Berlin, Germany
12/13/2012 Conne Island – Leipzig, Germany
12/14/2012 Futurm – Prague, Czech Republic
12/15/2012 Kantine – Augsburg, Germany
12/16/2012 Durer Kert – Budapest, Hungary
12/17/2012 Mochvara – Zagreb, Croatia
12/18/2012 Arena – Wien, Austria
12/19/2012 Factory – Milan, Italy
12/20/2012 Traffic Club – Rome, Italy
12/21/2012 Kiff – Aarau, Switzerland
12/22/2012 Substage – Karlsruhe, Germany