Review by Krys on January 25, 2001.

Does anyone in Sweden have a regular job or all the guys just sit around, play their instruments and form new bands? It seems like there are 10 bands on one street block! What amazes me is that most of them are damn good ones. If you thought that melodic-death-trash bands like In Flames, Arch Enemy or Dark Tranquillity are safe on the top of this genre then think again. Here comes Soilwork.

These 6 young thrashers are ready to take over. After their impressive 1998 debut album "Steel Bath Suicide" which brought a lot of attention to this band, they come back with their sophomore installation "The Chainheart Machine."

And… I’m speechless. It’s a jaw-dropping, adrenaline-pumping masterpiece that will blow your mind with a force compared to a close range blast from the shotgun. What they did on this album is just un-frickin'-believable. Sharp and precise guitar harmonies, unbelievable dynamics and great sense of melody combined with force and harshness of Death metal will satisfy everyone who ever listened to anything harder than George Michael. They just showed that the Gothenburg Sound can be played with even more excitement and at higher level than the rest of their peers do.

The masterful production by Fredric Nordstrom and Studio Fredman cooks up an intelligent and intense potion that will put these guys in a spotlight of their own.

Are you still reading this review? It’s a masterpiece! Go get it, now!!! At the pace they are progressing, I’m beginning to fear the intensity and musical genius of a third release!

Rating: 10 out of 10

Review by JD on September 2, 2013.

Canadian metal has been flourishing like crazy - showing the world that we rock hard and do it right. One of those amazing Canadian acts is Saskatoon’s most brutal export, a band that is the epitome of Death Metal – Agony Spawn.

Sounding like a great conflagration of Death Metal’s elite with a totally fresh take on it all, Agony Spawn does not pull any punches. With rapid attacking riffs, blasting bass and drums not to mention venomously spat vocals that cut deeper that any sword, the band hits like a runaway locomotive on a steep grade and never stops for nothing or no one. They do not let up for one moment, and runs you over in a fully blood soaked frenzy. Now that I have wet your metal appetite, read on.

Out of the four amazingly heavy and well written tracks that they offer up on this EP I have to say my favorite of all is 'Endless Suffering'. I could hear the whole Death influence and yet it was much more than that. Brutal harmonies and insanely good drums carry you on its musical ride, while the lyrics hack and slash their way through your mind and leave you sweat-soaked and wanting more with your hand frozen with the horn sign held high. You reach out and hit the play button again.

I loved their other EP ("Metal Vitality") and how it was done but this new one seems to have the full power that the other almost had, and shows the band ready to go onto the world stage at any moment. They need to be signed, so that the world can experience what Canada will know soon… true ‘Agony’ has been 'Spawned'.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9.5
Production: 9
Originality: 9
Overall: 9

Rating: 9.1 out of 10