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The Agonist - Lullabies For The Dormant Mind

Published September 25 2010


*
=Staff's pick

The Tempest (The Siren's Song, The Banshee's Cry)*
…And Their Eulogies Sang Me To Sleep
Thank You, Pain*
Birds Elope With The Sun
Waiting Out The Winter
Martyr Art*
Globus Hystericus*
Swan Lake, Op. 20 - Scene, Act 2, #10 (by Tchaikovsky) - A Capella
The Sentient
When The Bough Breaks
Chlorpromazine


Genre Melodic Death Metal
Alissa White-Gluz
Vocals
Tracks 11
Danny Marino
Guitar
Runningtime 44 Min.
Chris Adolph
Guitar
Label Century Media
Chris Kells
Bass
Release 23 February 2009
Simon McKay
Drums
Country Canada
-
Keyboard
Producer Christian Donaldson    
Similar artists Arch Enemy

This is a good record. Having been a fan of Arch Enemy for years, I've developed quite the soft spot for melodic death metal with blistering guitarsolos and a female vocalist that can deliver a powerful growl.

Believe you me when I say that with Alissa White-Guz you get one of the most ferocious growling this side of comfort - and some of the best clean-sung vocals I've heard in ages. She simply delivers such a performance that leaves me, well not speechless, but astounded by what capacities she's got. Such confidence and aggression in every damn song on the record is being showed here that there is very little left than to say that if you don't get that this woman can sing you are legally deaf.

The rest of the band is equally good in handling the instruments - but then this comes as no surprise if you've heard this band before. Their debut Once Only Imagined showed that this lot could play, even though the songs were not as great as they are on Lullabies For The Dormant Mind.

Brought more to the forefront of death metal, this record amply shows the growth in songwriting this band has undertaken. There are a few song that don't reach up to par - but when you get so many that simply kicks ass, I see little reason to dwell over the ones that don't stick. The Agonist can be very majestic in their expression, often building quite massive songs, as for example Martyr Art that has perfectly merged the aggressive playing with some very nice melodic elements.

Performancewise the band delivers everything from thunderous blast-beats, lightning-speed solos, technical playing to absolutely haunting melodic stuff. At the moment I can't get enough of this album.

See also review of: Eye Of Providence

Performance
Originality
Production
Vocals
Songwriting

8

6

9

9

8

 
Summary



8 chalices of 10 - Martin


Related links:

www.facebook.com/theagonistofficial