The very first time I heard Melting Sun was a revelation. From the very first listen, it captured me in a way that very few records have. That record changed the way I thought about heaviness as a sonic element, especially as a guitarist.
When I went back to the albums before it, though, I found them to be abrasive and unappealing, traditional black metal that lacked any of the atmospheric and melodic sensibilities that drew me to Melting Sun in the first place.
But then I gave Agape a deeper listen. Much to my delight, everything I loved about the record that followed it is still here—just with some sharper edges.