The
Agony Scene - The Darkest Red - Roadrunner Records 2005
11 Songs
Running Time: 37:29
The self-titled debut from Oklahoma's The
Agony Scene was as frenzied and scattered as a Jackson Pollack painting, referencing
bands so diverse as The Crown and...The Crown.
Even so, it was energetic, decently-played
metal from a band just getting comfortable with trading
in their technical beginnings for a more
straightforward attack. And an attack it was, never once
dropping below warp speed, and even managing
to do metallic justice to a Rolling Stones cover
in the process. And so, when I heard that the band
had signed to Roadrunner, I lamented the loss of a band
with arguable potential to the corporate
machine. Surely, the new album wouldn't be the same The
Agony Scene as before. Well, it isn't, but that's not
necessarily a bad thing in this case. The title track of The
Darkest Red has more dynamics than
the entire debut, courtesy of actually having a production
budget that could get you more than a Supersized
Combo #3 at McWhatever's. I must, at this point, confess
being a fan of the rawness of the debut.
Even so, it's nice to know the past two years have forced
growth in the songwriting department. 'Screams
Turn To Silence' slams through your cranium with verses
recalling the energy of the debut, while a newfound
sense of vocal melody carries the chorus without succumbing
to the typical metalcore trap. Fans of
Swedish metal as played by The Haunted will salivate
over 'Sacrifice', and the double-bass fills of 'Prey' may
just be enough to keep The Agony Scene out of being
lumped in with 90% of the Ozzfest crowd. 'My Dark Desire'
suffers from a chorus that seems out of place in the context
of the song. I just can't seem to hear what would otherwise
be a finger-snapping pop hook dropped into a neak-breaking
metal song and have things turn out positively. I'm sure
the label had a bit of say in the melodic sensibilities
found here and there on The Darkest Red, but if
one delves a bit deeper, they'll likely find something
enjoyable within the album. After the letdown of 'My Dark
Desire', the band are quick to redeem themselves with 'Scapegoat',
which takes the intensity of the first album and pushes
it even further with biting vocals and a riff that's the
musical equivalent of taking a cheese-grater to your forearms.
If you liked the first album, will you like The Darkest
Red? I'm quite sure you will. Due to the band's fashion-friendly
appearance and occasional melodic flirtations, they'll
surely be lumped in with the metalcore scene. Is it a fair
comparison? No, not to my ears. As it stands, The Darkest
Red is a decent listen, and a good first major-label
showing from a band that made "the jump" and landed mostly
on their feet.
www.theagonyscene.com |
