THE AGONY SCENE’s self-titled album is a hotshot metal album laced together with blazing guitars and riffing that’s both destructive and melodic. The AT THE GATES worship is remarkably obvious with the melodic Swedish-metal riffing and one-two-one-two drum attack, yet this vicious army give it a modern-day kick in the ass falling somewhere between AS I LAY DYING and THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER. One can only imagine an explosive live performance from the Oklahomans. Vocalist, Michael Williams, utilizes the dual-voice approach that carries a very scathing black metal-esque quality. Unfortunately, the unintelligible screams dont quite match the intensity of the music, and even the most diehard loud music fans will be quick to point out the lack of diversity from song to song…well aside from the screamo-licious rendition of THE ROLLING STONES’ “Paint it Black.” Regardless, The Agony Scene is a respectable debut finely manipulated by producer Adam Dutkiewicz (KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist). (Solid State Records)
