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All the elation, spiritual ascent, and power of heavy music radiates with overwhelming force from the second album by this self-described "blissful black metal" collective hailing from Los Angeles.

This new album pairs crushing weight with imaginative detailing. Lead single Bodhidharma propels along a guitar motif fit for a motorcycle crew, then a burst of static and screaming introduces a melancholic atmospheric rock middle eight. The often-criticized technique of the widdly-woo solo is brilliantly revived by axeman Richard Chowenhill, whose lead work on this track and on standout Flea will have you levitating with joy – but then the calm ballad Hallelujah features descending guitar melodies played with youthful innocence.

Songs such as Micah (5.15.am) and Serenity are high-speed punk rock, while Dan’s Love Song is drum free and has glacial Sunn O)))-style fuzz rumbling underneath its ethereal beauty. Black metal melodies can often be absent or too complex, but Agriculture’s riffs and hooks are bright and original, and closer the song The Reply even recalls a much heavier the band Radiohead.

Listeners who enjoy experimental metal acts Deafheaven will probably love all this contrasting dynamics and unabashedly gorgeous noise, especially because Agriculture also have two divergent vocal styles, divided here across two vocalists. Dan Meyer contributes sporadic soulful, clean singing, but the star is Leah Levinson, her voice trembling on Bodhidharma but fiercely howling on other songs.

As is common in the genre, it’s hard to discern the words she sings, but they’re worth the effort: the narratives she conveys about personal struggles and anti-LGBTQ bigotry are devastating, just like her quest for purpose in a reality that inexorably bends towards conflict.