At The Gates (particularly the Slaughter of the Soul
album) must be the most-often referenced band when it
comes to brutal, melodic death metal. Not a bad thing
in my book. The Agony Scene (from Oklahoma, which in
some weird, ironic way probably isn't as far from
Sweden as we may initially think) have certainly taken
a page or two from the book written by the legendary
Swedes, put their own spin on it and emerged with this
burning slab of passion. (Like ATG, TAS have a song
called "Nausea." How weird is that?)
The songs here are powerful and often frightening
(witness "Eyes Sewn Shut" or "Shotgun Wedding," along with "Vivid," a slightly less thrash-intensive track)
but never less crushing than a cannonball landing on
an ant. Dig their cover of the Rolling Stones classic
"Paint It Black."
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