Agents of Man "Count Your Blessings" CD
[Century Media]
Hot fucking damn have I been waiting way too long for this, so holy shit am I psyched that this record has finally hit the streets! Since my review of their debut EP is no longer archived on the site I'll provide a brief rundown of why I worship these guys. Four years ago I randomly discovered Agents of Man online because the band contains several former members of the excellent Train of Thought (who was by far the most promising yet criminally overlooked band to have taken part in the "East Coast Assault II" compilation), who I was always an immense fan of (Agents of Man also boasts former members of Bulldoze, Sworn Enemy, Cold as Life, One 4 One, and the also brilliant yet totally disregarded Elements DEC). To my great delight Agents of Man sounds almost exactly like Train of Thought, so I flipped way the fuck out and they immediately became my favorite currently active band, and have remained such ever since. So for those uninitiated, the band plays an incredibly melodic yet heavy form of metallic hardcore that is among the most unique and individual sounding material out there right now. I know it's not for everyone, but what drives me nuts is that there are countless fucking idiots out there who are already comparing Agents of Man to bands that they have nothing in common with and don't even sound remotely similar to. Yes, there are chunky power chords and a blend of singing and shouting with some hardcore styled gang backups and what have you, and sure, there's a ton of melody too. But I'm telling you: In reality they don't sound anything like any other band out there. There is nothing derivative or trendy about what they're doing, and anyone who claims otherwise is lazy and completely ignorant. Lest I remind you that most of these guys have also been playing this exact same style of music for 10 years now, in one form or another, so they also predate all of the more popular "metalcore" bands out there at the moment. The bottomline for me is that these guys write amazing fucking songs to the point where I just can't believe how they do it. This record just came out yesterday and I've already listened to it a million times. Hell, I've had half of these songs in demo form (and for these guys "demo form" might as well mean "nearly perfect") for two years now, and I'm still not tired of ‘em! I mean, you listen to a fucking song like "Can't Run" and try to tell me that shit's not perfect. You can't do it. That shit is insane. It's totally energetic, there's plenty of great dual guitar interaction with some thick open chords and airy melodies... it's just so fucking catchy. I'm actually surprised they didn't use it as the lead track. And "No Tomorrow"? Please, that shit's crazy. I'm all over it. Another super energetic number with surging rhythm work and a ridiculously memorable chorus that'll be stuck in your head for days. "Blood Money" follows with more of a midpaced stroll that lets the contrast between the heaviness and the melody become very distinct (and yes, another flawless chorus with emphatic vocal harmonies galore). "Truth You Hide" is another midpaced cut full of melodic accents with one of the most effective vocal performances from a singing standpoint, dropping some gorgeous harmonies during the slightly restrained break a few minutes in. The first of the more wholly in your face songs comes with "Repercussion", which is probably the most traditionally metallic hardcore oriented in its use of hard ass chord progressions, dissonant phrasings, and some massive gang vocals. "Without a Trace" is also among the heavier tracks that blends churning power chords and lightly filtered shouting with a fluid chorus and some dissonant rhythmic attributes towards the end (not to mention the bright acoustic riffing that open/closes the piece), with the title track taking a similar road by layering chorused clean guitars over the staccato backing chords and a more varied vocal performance, while opener "Death of Me" is a little more straightforward in terms of heaviness and song structure. "Murder" is easily my favorite of the harder hitting pieces though, still keeping a sense of dynamics in place with a couple of quick, winding clean runs and pulsing basslines during the verse parts, but taking a more stripped down approach to the hefty power chords elsewhere... and what about those fucked up twisting and turning runs during the chorus!? I love that shit! The only track that initially rubbed me the wrong way was the brief acoustic ballad "Be My Savior", which I felt sort of created a lull in the momentum and felt out of place. But honestly, the more I listen to it the more it's grown on me, to the point where I actually really dig it. Another gorgeous vocal performance really shines in this one, especially with the sparse mix that lets everything have its own brightness. All of which makes "Consequence" jump out even more. This one's probably my favorite track on the entire disc, as it was on the demo that I've been cranking for two years now. The chorus is just fucking perfect, and definitely harnesses a darker sense of emotion than a lot of the other songs, making for a flawlessly balanced selection that's equal parts light melody and aggressive density. Seriously, this one's fuckin' gold. Closing it out is a re-recording of "Headless", one of the finer moments from their 2001 EP, with a couple of revised guitar parts and vocal lines to add a little more color to the arrangements. The recording's pretty damn good as well, as usual. I think the guitar tone ought to be a touch smoother since the added texture at the perimeter of the distortion can get in the way on scarce occasions, but the vocals sound amazing (notably for the impressive harmonies during the singing passages), the drums are crisp yet dense, and the bass has an excellent level of presence throughout - highlighting some surprisingly prominent runs that really work nicely right in between the drums and the guitar parts. The mix is clear as hell too, which adds to the overall quality by also managing to keep everything tightly knit without either separation or muddiness. Visually things look fine. Certain elements of the cover art could maybe use a little tweaking, but I'm definitely digging the logo and the way it really pops off the page. Elsewhere the text is clean and everything's crisply arranged, so that's fine by me. Most of the lyrical content is succinct and keeps things open: "Life is flashing before your own eyes and when you're left behind how will you be remembered? Crash and burn, twist and turn, realize that there's nowhere to hide on the edge of forever..." Fuck, I just love this god damn band. I'm not kissing ass, either. The vocals, the general riffing style... everything about these guys is sincerely creative and original, it all has its own unique sound and I really think you'd be remiss to claim otherwise. Every song is a keeper and there are just so many amazingly memorable compositions that I really do find it hard to believe. I'm so incredibly impressed by these guys, so I'm stunned that they haven't started to gain more attention... but hopefully that's all gonna change over the next couple of years. I'm sick of seeing the most admirably innovative and hardworking bands get shafted time and time again, so just check this shit out and see for yourself. I never get this excited over bands anymore. Never. This is without question among the best releases of the year, whether anyone else has the competence to recognize it or not. Excellent work, gentlemen, and I wish you all the best. (10/10)
Running time - 40:34, Tracks: 12
[Notable tracks: No Tomorrow, Blood Money, Can’t Run, Murder, Consequence]
Agents of Man - http://www.agentsofman.com

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