Review Summary: The Agony Scene where do I start. Seriously this is a band that my stoner friend showed me one afternoon last year and I instantly fell in love with them. Instantly. It was love at first listen.
The Darkest red is an amazing album all around. If you love metal don’t mind high screaming then you’ll love these guys but hey you might just love it if you like metal. To my self I sometimes I really don’t know what is a good album and what is a bad album. But this album didn’t really matter because when I listened to it the only song that I didn’t like on it was the prelude you know the one with out words or really music…
The album starts out with a weird sound effect prelude that’s about a minute long then kicks right into chest rattling snare beats into just an all around heavy intro. Very fun song to play on guitar I might add. This track is the title track called The Darkest Red…duh. Music is kind of like sluggish at first but has very fast parts. The way Michael presents his lyrics throughout the song is just explosive.
Scars of your Disease is a phenomenal track. It really doesn’t give their drummer much justice in supporting that he’s an amazing drummer but hey he’s god enough to be with them then that’s their thing. When I was talking to Brain their guitarist we were talking about their pursuit for a new drummer. And all he had to say about that was well were not going to find a crappy drummer. I don’t know if he was implying that the old one was crappy but that’s what I got out of it. This song proves time and time again about there skill as musicians minus the drummer but still. This song has many parts that stand out to me in a big way in the spot where there is a breakdown and a buildup comes after it and vocals just are aggressive and in your face.
The next song on the album is good but the verses sound too much like the other songs so far if your listening in chronological order that is. But this is the first song on the album that uses clean vocals for the chorus and is the first good piece of lyricism. I really enjoyed the metaphor used. “the darkness it grows inside, like a cancer that’s feeding’, reflecting behind her eyes, the screams turn to silence”. I became even more fond of the band when I started realizing that there was some actual talent in the lyric writing. So this song actually did a lot for me.
If you’re a fan for the in your face brutal songs, which I can stand most of the time, this song is for you. Its called sacrifice and it like I said just in your face hard ***. I like the main riff of the song its creative. The break is alright in the song there is better on this album but it’s a good song with out it so I don’t really care.
Ladies and gentleman… to the single! Just kidding but seriously.. Prey. Fantastic song I see why they chose it for the single. Starts out right with a heavy guitar riff that’s simple but like I said in past reviews sometimes simple is good. Lots of double bass in this song so if you don’t like a lot of it then sorry. Its ok its just proving once again that he’s not an excellent drummer. Michaels vocals are once again explosive in this song because the verse it broke down and he just gets out there. The chorus is mostly clean too.
This next track is by far my favorite track on the entire whole album. Its called procession. This song is so just amazing it blows my mind. Just starts off so good with the beat that’s like a breakdown and this is the first track that actually his drumming is good to me. The riff for the verse is so sweet that ends in an awesome pinch harmonic. Some bands over use pinch harmonics, like Killswitch engage when they’re live. The chorus is truly phenomenal it has a clean singing and then screaming that like echoes it is awesome and there is some whispering going on in there too. The break is like a minute and a half of all singing and its really good and goes back to the chorus and boom its done.
Suffer. The heaviest song on the alum starts out with hardcore blast beats and thirty-seconds on the double bass. And the whole song is just in your face all around. The chorus is so sweet with his vocals he just projects his vocals is just amazing has already has a godforsaken high scream and now he projects is higher and louder it is truly a good song.
I do believe that the next track is the softest on the album but yet is a really good song good lyrics I like them a lot. Its called my dark desire and it starts out with talking sort of for the verse not screaming but not singing either. The guitars are really good in this song there are a few very well placed pinch harmonics and good double bass that fits with everything. Then later in the verse there s creaming which leads to the chorus which is really good singing and a little bit of screaming much like prey or procession. Very good song especially after suffer which is just all out in your face this song is like a break. There is some really good drumming in the break well I guess the bridge. No words though then goes into the chorus so it’s a simple song but simple can be good in the right places.
Number ten, scapegoat. This was the first song by the agony scene that I ever heard and it so god me hooked. it’s a very good song. Starts out with sweet riff and good blast beats on the double bass and then the sixteenths and then screaming. The chorus makes this song: burn me alive burn me ALIVE! I feel the hatred behind there eyes burn me alive, blacken the circles to watch me die burn me! The break of the song is another good one with blast beat breakdown. On a good stereo system will shake the house.
The last and final track is called forever abandoned and to me is the worst track on the album but nonetheless is a good song. It has a cool intro riff and then in your face screaming and simple drumming but sweet guitars. The whole song is sweet but just doesn’t stand out to me as much as the others. I really like the line she tasted eternity.
The Agony Scene truly an d amazing band for not being that well known. There next album is going to be recorded very soon and with out a label so its going to be raw as *** according to Brian there guitarist. I asked him about the next album a while ago and that’s what he told me. I just don’t really know why they would drop roadrunner… that’s my question. Thanks for reading please comment criticism is welcome if you didn’t like my review. This is only my third one. This album is truly a five and I recommend the entire album not one song is bad at all. Enjoy.
