Agents of Satan "The Old Testament" CD
[Intolerant Messiah]
Here's a sizeable 43-track discography CD from this spastic west coast act, running barely more than a minute per song. Included is the band's demo, split 7"s with Burn the Priest, No Less, and Noothgrush, the "s/t" EP, live tracks recorded on KFJC 89.7 FM in 1995, and the Radioactive Lunch "s/t" 7" (pre-Agents of Satan), as well as some unreleased tracks I believe. Admittedly I've never been a big fan of this band. I have their splits with Burn the Priest and No Less, and while I can listen to the stuff, it's not all that wonderful. Expect a mix of thick and nasty slow riffs (which are awesome) with some quirky, plunky distorted basslines, manic screaming and low growls, some grinding blasts, a few noisy and sort of improvisational elements, etc. I think the main reason I'm not that into a lot of the stuff is because I don't like the higher-pitched vocals, and because the songs are mostly all bass, drums, and vocals. They play the bass like a guitar, so it's a dominant instrument and it sounds cool, but the absence of guitars is definitely a hindrance for me. It just feels like something is missing with the way these tracks are put together, they need more substance in there... The recordings are all pretty good for what they are, though. The mixes are solid, the tones are rugged but done with tact, etc. Even the live tracks sound quite good, and in keeping with the studio work to a large degree. The layout is incredibly well handled with lots of wild and crazy illustrations, lyrics, most all of the original record covers, recoding information for each session, photos, flyers, and then some. I doubt I need to go into the lyrics, as titles such as "Rape Your Ass With Drugs", "Cut Off My Dick", "Shredded Clitoris and Foreskin", "I Hate You", etc. should be pretty god damn obvious, right? It's fun stuff. Unfortunately it's just not my thing. A few of the songs kick ass, a few are alright, a good number are boring, and then a few suck as well. In short doses I can appreciate it and see some value in it, but I can't really take 40+ tracks in 40+ minutes straight, you know? If you're really into this stuff, I have to emphasize how well handled this is as a collection CD, it's just that musically this isn't my cup of the ol' tea. (5/10)
Running time - 44:35, Tracks: 43
[Notable tracks: Pusher, Vomit Tar, Black Metal Bat, March of the A.O.S., Toupee, Pot Cookies]
Intolerant Messiah - http://www.intolerantmessiah.com

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