The Agony Scene
The Darkest Red
Roadrunner Records, May 2005
Offensive Words: about 5 or 6 questionable words
Genre: metalcore
Also check out Haste the Day and As Cities Burn!
I have had tons of emails from fans asking if The Agony Scene is a
Christian band and so often I hate that question but HM Magazine this
past month had the best possible way to respond, an interview with the
band:
We’ve all heard rumors and whatnot about everyone. I was told by
concert promoters that The Agony Scene has shown up late and drunk to
gigs at Christian venues. If that was the case, it might be easy to
understand why that might make people who work in this scene uneasy to
work with The Agony Scene. Why or why would you not want to remain
inside or part of the Christian music scene?
Why would you not want to remain inside part of the Christian music
scene?
Or why would you?
Why would you? I have no idea! I would never want to remain part of the
Christian music scene at all. I don’t want to have anything to do with
it, honestly. It just absolutely disgusts me. That’s totally cool.
Believe whatever you want. That’s awesome, but I just… Nailing down
music and just really what is just like a connection between people just
as, like, music and stuff to just one religion or something just seems
really ridiculous to me. Not only that, but it’s probably one of the
most biased scenes or industries I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
It’s gotta be the most money-hungry thing I’ve ever seen in my life,
honestly. I don’t really care. I mean, everything that I’ve ever…
Not everything, but tons of stuff I’ve experienced with the Christian
industry is just people marketing bands to just make money off of ‘em.
I don’t know. They know they have their guaranteed Christian fans
there, so they just, like… I don’t know. It really disgusts me. The
focus, I think, is really on the wrong thing. I really don’t want to
have anything to do with the Christian scene. It’s not that I don’t
want Christians to listen to our music. That’s awesome. Please do, but
listen to our music because of our music; not because of what we
believe. Mike’s an amazing lyricist and I think he has a lot of good
things to say. And so do a lot of other people, who don’t believe the
same thing as Christians. I think that it’s just ridiculous that
anybody would even consider not listening. That’s a blind, foolish
thing that even, you know, Jesus never even taught – to just not
listen to anybody because they believe differently. That’s just… I
don’t know. I don’t want to have anything to do with people that are
just going to be that blind – to stop… But that’s my take on
things.
How do you think The Agony Scene got hooked up with that scene?
Pardon? Say that again.
How do you think The Agony Scene got labeled as a Christian band or
hooked up with the Christian music scene?
Because we were on Solid State Records and that’s just a common
misperception by their core Christian fans. Like I was just explaining,
there’s just those guaranteed however many thousands of kids that will
buy any CD just cuz it comes out on Solid State. Just like, ‘Oh,
here’s Christian rock. It’s available for me.’ I think that, just
because our CD came out on Solid State, people just assumed that’s
what it was. Solid State’s not a label that puts out music for
Christian kids who only listen to Christian music to listen to. Maybe
they are now. I don’t know how they’re running, but I don’t think
so. I think that’s pretty much how that came about.
What are your thoughts about Jesus Christ?
I think that He definitely had a lot of good things to say. I mean. I
couldn’t, like, quote Him on a lot of stuff, but I’ve read parts of
the Bible… I definitely think that. I don’t know the for-sure true
answers on everything in life; and I think that Jesus had a lot of
things to say that really make sense if you really just think about it.
I don’t really know what else to say besides that.
Cool. What do you think about His claims to be the Way, the Truth and
the Life, no one comes to the Father but by Me?
Um… I think that that could be true. I’m not really sure as to
how… I’m not really sure as to how the Jesus in play with the God
thing comes to play. I’m not really sure about absolute truth –
what’s absolute truth on that – but it could be true. I think that
it might be. I don’t know. I don’t really think about it much,
honestly. That’s absolutely bad, but…
(www.hmmagazine.com)
Whether we agree or disagree with the band's stance on the Christian market, the fact is, just like the mainstream market, they are there to make money. I don't know the situation between them and SolidState. I am not assuming or passing judegment on anyone.
Music
A very distorted and creepy intro sets the scene for the reinvented
metalcore sound of The Agony Scene. "The Darkest Red" has a
very deep and gut felt metal overtone with very heavy guitars and deep
bass lines. High tom drums seemed a bit out of place but did add for a
diverse sound. "Scars of Your Disease" continues the drive
with double kick drum thrown all over with heart felt chaos.
"Screams Turn to Silence" scared me a a bit as it had some nu-metal
overtones on the chorus but the start/stop drive was a great metalcore
switch. "Prey" was the same way, with more of a nu-metal type
chorus. But the grinding out guitars added a great touch in the
verses! "Scapegoal" was a great brutal metal track with out of
control and wailing guitars. Overall this is a very solid metal
performance and sophomore release from the first. The only
downfall is some of the nu-metal overtones in a few tracks.
Vocal/Lyrics
Michael Williams has a very distinct and different screaming
effect. Great singing vocals are mixed in with a nu-metal.hard
rock feel at times. It made for a nice transition through choruses
and also a change from sometimes a monotonous feel.
Well, I can say after reading the doom and gloom lyrics of The Agony
Scene's latest album I see why they feel so at home with Roadrunner
Records. The lyrics totally encapsulate the bands name. Maybe I am
missing something but I just don't see much positive within the
lyrics. I do see the point of feelings of desperation but I don't
see the band offering a hand to help lift anyone up either. Also,
this is how much of this generation feels with times of hate and abandonment
and it is 'the agony scene'. Most the songs are repeats from the
previous songs with talks of death and blood throughout. Several
songs mention praying but after reading the bands views on Christianity,
I don't know if they mean it literally or as a metaphor as a last resort
for help. Also, the band doesn't use offensive language but they were
able to through in edgy words such as damnation and bastard, though used
grammatically correct.
Musically the band gets a pretty solid second release with some touches
of nu-metal. And if you are into the doom, gloom, vengeance tracks then
you may like this, but if you are looking for hopeful lyrics in response
then you may not find it here. The band does get a 'pg-13' type rating
due to violent and graphic nature.
"The Darkest Red"
I pray for..
this is my final breath
the choking end of misery
my walls collapse
I pray for death
this is my final breath
peel back the flesh to watch it bleed
The Darkest Red
I pray for death
"Scars Of Your Disease"
I am the ever-forsaken bastard child of your disease
your dead and abandoned
strung up for all of you to see
naked and screaming
so beautiful profane
the esenence of bleeding
the scars that bare my name
I am the hatred incarnate
I am the choked and dying screams
I am the sickness inside you
longing for..
This is the hate that surrounds you
Pray for the endless touch of death
Now burning inside you
I am the scars of your disease
"Forever Abandoned"
wrists are severed
the deepest cuts are traced in red
so beautiful
the separation of her flesh from the razor
feeling a pain she's never known
like broken glass
draining the blood that's running cold
she tasted eternity
it's kiss like a last goodbye
as she's taken herself from me
forever abandoned