Review Summary: One of the most overlooked albums of the 90's alternative metal scene. Even though UGLY is a drastic departure, it stands as near flawless when accepted as a step of progression.
Many bands have often become uncaring for a sound or style that they established for themselves which also gained them a sizable fan base early in their career. The New York based Life Of Agony came across some creative conflictions after their exceptional and very heavy debut, RIVER RUNS RED, and decided to abandon nearly all of the traits which made that album the beast that it is. This was in time for a 1995 follow up, UGLY – perhaps one of the most overlooked and dismissed albums of the 90’s alternative metal scene.
One of the most noticeable differences on UGLY is the stripping down of Sal Abruscato’s power drumming which dominated RIVER RUNS RED. His technique here is more precise and even slightly more experimental (check ‘Lost At 22’ for what sounds like hand drumming during the middle of the song). The band have also ditched the gang vocals which were littered over old tracks like ‘Through And Through’ and ‘Underground’ and instead let Keith (or Mina now) display his newly developed crooning. This is a suitable adjustment for the bands altered sound and is almost incomparable to what was heard on RIVER RUNS RED. Here, Keith’s new expressive style sounds more emotive and is perhaps more at heart with the era’s alternative bands and it suits UGLY perfectly.
The first half of the album opener ‘Seasons’ sounds like it has borrowed and modified the prodding riff from the Stone Temple Pilots ‘Vasoline’ and given it a sharper, and more bludgeoning aesthetic. Keith’s vocals glide quietly over the top, only to break into higher notes more frequently as the song progresses into the soaring second half. This opening track is a strong introduction to the bands new sound, it perfectly exhibits the subdued intensity which they now harness and gives inclinations of what’s to come on UGLY.
Tracks that differ most drastically from the previous album are ‘How It Would Be’ and ‘Let’s Pretend’ - these are the more emotionally charged songs. The lyrics here largely focus on Keith Caputo’s relationship, or more accurately, the absence of a relationship with his mother. These in particular best displayed the bands new tendency for the alternative and grunge sounds which the band had adopted and were moving closer towards throughout their career. They arguably could also have been mistaken for a slightly more optimistic sound if not for the mournful lyrics.
‘Fears’ and ‘Damned If I Do’ both possess pulverizing riffs and are the closest the album gets to the cripplingly heavy depths of RIVER RUNS RED. There is also ‘Drained’ with its more meandering riffs akin to stoner metal and the tight, punchy fan favourite, ‘Lost At 22’ to showcase the bands still dominant and aggressive side. The introspective title track is possibly the greatest combination of the bands sounds of old and new up to that point which is reflected in both the words and the music. In those respects it serves as an apt and suitable epitome of UGLY. Right at the end, just when you think you’ve got the album figured out, it throws in a cover of ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ by Simple Minds. This Life Of Agony version features crawlingly slow bass and synth driven verse sections that diffuse a sense of uncharacteristic menace which then crash into the more familiarly styled chorus. This isn’t a simple copy and pasting of the tablature cover; this is a complete reinterpretation by the band which makes the song their own, much in style of drummer Sal Abruscato’s old band, Type O Negative, when they approached covers – it must be a New York thing. It’s a cover that may befuddle some people but with the Breakfast Club's themes of alienation and despair which are conveyed through the original, it feels strangely at home on UGLY.
Although the album doesn’t really suffer from any individually weak tracks, none of them quite repeat hitting the high mark of the terrific opener ‘Seasons’. This doesn’t leave the album unbalanced as one would presume and it isn’t really a problem simply because the rest the album still stands firm. As previously mentioned, this album is of course quite a departure from the slamming riffs and thrashy sensibilities of the previous album and even if UGLY didn’t diametrically divide Life Of Agony’s fan base, those who embraced the new sound may sometimes be a little too concretely chiselled by RIVER RUNS RED to really appreciate the tender lyrics during the emotional songs. Nonetheless, if these songs are listened to with a bit of context about the frontman’s life, the sentiments may have the power to hit a little harder than expected. Life Of Agony will most often be remembered for their rollicking debut, but UGLY remains something of a near flawless album when it is accepted as a stylistic change for their musical direction, even if the change was a considerably drastic one so early in their career.
Keep a lookout for the limited tin edition of UGLY for some excellent b-sides – ‘Coffee Break’ and an acoustic track - a cover of Bob Marley’s ‘Redemption Song’.
