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AGENTS OF MAN Count Your Blessings Century Media(2005)
I really don't know whether the members of Agents of Man had any idea what they were getting themselves into when they started recording the twelve songs that are featured on their first full-length release "Count Your Blessing", but I can definitely see all those grey clouds of war that are slowly gathering above the "traditional" metalcore camp. What is it about this outfit, whose only previous release was an EP back in 2001, that makes them capable of causing such a strong reaction in what is currently the most commercial genre of our music?
For sure, this band is not going to bring a revolution in this very limiting, by it's nature, style of music - definitely not with the structure of their compositions, the backbone of which is based upon similar rules as those of bands like Killswitch Engage, Shadow's Fall and Born From Pain. What helps them differ by the majority of the modern metalcore bands, and the main reason why Century Media decided to invest in them, is the fact that they are one of the few bands that have chosen to pay more attention to their melodic choruses and clear vocals. That, of course, means that they will become far more accessible to people like me, who are not the biggest fans of typical metalcore, but they will probably be ex-communicated by the fanatic supporters of this extreme style of music.
A good example of this combination is "Death of Me", the opening track of the album. If my previous reference to melodic choruses made you a bit sceptical as to the heaviness of this band, then maybe you must listen to the main guitar riff and the hardcore backing vocals of this composition, which will hopefully convince you of the band's honest intentions.
Most of the following compositions such as "Blood Money" and "Without A Trace" will quite easily become memorable, but it was "Truth You Hide", the first song, that really captured my attention.
A great guitar melody and the Death Angel-influenced vocals, make this composition the best musical offer of this twelve-track release. I was also really happy to listen to the acoustic guitar theme of "Be My Savior" which is a beautifully arranged and also quite a melodic composition, as well as the mid-tempo tunes and catchy riffs of "Consequence". Those of you who have already purchased the "AOM>EP01" will probably recognise "Headless" as one of the songs that was originally featured on that release, but having not listened to it myself, I am not in the position to inform you of any differences between the two versions.
There is a huge battle going on between the metal labels who are all looking to invest in metalcore bands, hoping that the genre's current commercial success is going to bring more money to their bank accounts. I don't know if Century Media is going to be the winner of that race, or if Agents of Man are going to become the next big thing, but I have to admit that “Count Your Blessings” is closer to my taste than many other albums of that genre.
***½
Review by John Stefanis
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