AGENBITE MISERY Unleashes First Single “Bellwether and Swine”
Experimental metal trio AGENBITE MISERY has released the first single from their forthcoming debut album Remorse of Conscience. Titled "Bellwether and Swine," this is the first look into the band's genre-defying literary adaptation of James Joyce’s Ulysses.
At just under six minutes, "Bellwether and Swine" delivers a searing fusion of black metal, sludge, and militaristic riffage, pairing relentless sonic aggression with sharp thematic intent. The track adapts the infamous “Cyclops” chapter of Ulysses, reimagining its critique of xenophobia and jingoism through a modern metal lens. With pounding rhythms, towering riffs, and a vocal delivery soaked in irony and venom, AGENBITE MISERY turns the language of triumphalist metal against itself, mocking the very nationalist violence it so often celebrates. The official visualizer for the track is available HERE.
Lyrically, "Bellwether and Swine" blends lines from Joyce’s exaggerated narrator with direct biblical and mythic allusions, mimicking the “gigantism” style of the original text. Spoken word sections conjure Old Testament visions as Bloom’s escape from a violent barroom argument becomes a parable of survival. Meanwhile, sludgy choruses chant the narrator’s dismissals with mock-reverence: “Begob, he got as far as the door. Begob, always some bloody clown or other.”
"Bellwether and Swine" was self-recorded and produced by the band, with mixing by Eric Sauter and mastering by Brad Boatright. It is the first of five singles to be released ahead of Remorse of Conscience, which arrives February 6, 2026.
AGENBITE MISERY formed with a mission to translate great literary works into modern sonic languages. Their upcoming debut draws directly from Joyce’s Ulysses, with each track adapting a specific chapter using genre-spanning metal composition and lyrics lifted from the original text. The result is a sprawling, ambitious, and unapologetically cerebral journey through some of the most emotionally dense terrain ever attempted in heavy music.
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