Review by Allan on August 31, 2003.

Everybody get ready. If metalcore is your thing, be prepared. Intense, screaming vocals, ravaging guitar riffs with sharp melodies, and drumming that will pummel your ears. Oklahoma's ferocious five-some The Agony Scene are hear to, uh, play music that you're already acquainted with...

Basically there are two ways to look at The Agony Scene. One way is to judge them based upon their musicianship and overall performance, and the other is to judge it strictly by the music.

Argument A: The Agony Scene sound excellent. The songs are tight, well played, and the band performs with ease. The production is very good. The guitars have a crushing tone, the drums are more than decent sounding, and the vocals, if you enjoy the raspy screaming in your metalcore, are on par. A lot of the music on this self-titled debut is very good. The riffing is intense and punishing, just the way metalcore should be. What more could one ask for?

Argument B: The Agony Scene simply fails to engage or interact outside of any preconceived metalcore boundaries. The performance may be excellent, but that doesn't make up for the lack of creativity, uniqueness, or originality. The first three songs sounded so similar it was nauseating. It was only half way through the album that things started to mix up a little bit, only to relapse back into more generic metalcore. It's not difficult to find well-played metalcore. I can find that many places. What I want is a band that can show me something interesting.

Bottom Line: If you're not one who cares about finding metalcore or hardcore that puts a bit of a spin on the norm, then The Agony Scene is the right place to stop. This debut will be more than enough for you. However, if you are one that is looking for a bit more, keep looking.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 8
Originality: 4
Overall: 5

Rating: 6.4 out of 10