DO YOU LOVE OR LOATHE THE AGONIST?
Thursday, May 14th, 2009 at 1:30pm by Axl RosenbergI’m not really that familiar with The Agonist, which is kinda sad, because I’m fairly certain we sponsored their recent tour with The Haunted (although, in all fairness to me, they weren’t a part of the tour when we signed up). But a lof of you have e-mailed us about them as of late, and I think the split between those of you love ‘em and those of you who loathe ‘em is pretty equal.
So here’s the band’s David Brodsky-directed video for “…And Their Eulogies Sang Me to Sleep.” Check it out, and then let us know what you think of The Agonist below.
-AR
This band is boring rehash. It must be a slow news day.
I’m a fan.
I’m gonna go ahead and say that I like this band.
You’re all gonna go ahead and tell me that my taste in music sucks.
But seriously, I’m digging the mixture of operatic singing and screaming. The black metal influence is pretty cool also and makes it more than just typical metalcore.
im a fan as of now
the song is itching for a solo though
Chick is hawt and the backing vocals are interesting.
I’m on the fence.
When i saw them open for Sonata Arctica and Into Eternity they were a very run of the mill, mediocre, melodic metalcore band riddled with breakdowns. During their whole set my friends and i did the macarena, chicken dance, and every other kind of stupid dance to mock how horrible they were, not to mention they had a whole bunch of PETA propaganda near their merch table. This song however is leaps and bounds better than their old shit and while im not super impressed i am pleasantly surprised they didnt rehash the breakdowns and added a little bit of darkness to the music. I may check them out when they come through with Thy Will Be Done later this year.
Yeah, their first CD is trash… Its the trend ive noticed nowadays… You start off fill-in-the-blank-core then you move to either death metal (if your deathcore) or melodic death metal or New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal or Thrash Metal if youre metalcore… I think its just a “let’s get signed!” ploy.
The song was pretty good until she started singing like Mariah Carey.
I heard nothing like that, clean vocals do not equal pop singing.
I like ‘em. I haven’t heard their old material, but I like all of the songs from the new album that I’ve heard.
I like them and think that their mixture of styles is interesting. If you listen to the whole record itis pretty all over the place style wise.
Not bad, the vocals seem extremely produced though, and why no solo? Come on now…your not in Hatebreed!
i’ve liked this band since their last CD, and they did nothing but turn up the brutality on this one. i think a lot of people are turned off by the female singing aspect, but i think that its pretty damn impressive that she’s got some damn good pipes and can growl with the best of them. not to mention she makes me erect.
Close-ups of hair tossing, close-ups of symbol crashes, close-ups of fretboard riffage, close-ups of mournful eyes to open and close the video. Someone mailed this one in.
I think 90% of Brodsky’s videos are mailed in garbage. Probably didn’t hurt that the band had $5 with you to make this video, though.
Thank god someone agrees. I’ve been saying Brodsky is horrid for months on this site.
Oops *with which*
However, I will say that if your uncle is Frank Marino and you can muster 1/10 of his talent, you must have something going for you. Not sure about the vocals and (as stated above) lack of a solo, but the interweaving riffs are pretty good.
I like her. The music could be better.
oh cool, a hot chick that doesn’t sing like a hot chick. what will they think of next.
Song was cool until the breakdown. Overall, not bad.
This is kinda metal… and it sucks…. oh! I see what you did there!
I’m surprised to say it, but I could listen to them. It’s a nice mix of styles, though I’m not sure if it was intentional or they just wanted to rip off a bunch of bands. I mean, at around 25 seconds there’s an old Avenged Sevenfold riff, then at 49 seconds Lamb of God jumps in, then some black metal thing, followed by A Life Once Lost, then The Project Hate out of friggin nowhere, then they try but fail miserably to be Meshuggah, then it’s all a breakdown I can’t really place. I will give credit to the vocalist for actually doing some metal vocals and not pulling that Flyleaf/In This Moment crap. But shouldn’t at least one part repeat to be considered a song? There’s no structure. It works, but I really don’t think they can keep coming up with a million different riffs just to finish one song. Overall I’m on the fence.
The riffs were alright. The growls were pretty impressive coming from a girl, but they sounded pretty overproduced, too. I doubt she could spit it out that well live. David Brodsky’s awful directing didn’t do their first impression any favors, either. Nothing too interesting, but not bad.
she was on canadian idol… lol
Yea….. the’re not that original they got potential though….. I met the bass player (Chris) and the Singer (Alissa) they are really cool people haha….. Alissa is so dam hott up close…..
Alissa has an amazing voice for growling and singing. I really like this band and not just because Alissa is fucking hot as hell. There are plenty of female fronted bands out there that I find the vocalist obnoxious, In This Moment for example.
i agree 100% with this kid…fuck maria brink…her saggy titties in playboy
the agonist is the best female fronted band in metal today besides Deadlock
Alissa is fuckin’ sexy.
I watched this video on mute, while listening to “Echoes” and it didn’t sync up at all…
….What? This song isn’t called Echoes.
The girl is hot, but the music sucks. They try too hard and fail. I can’t believe I have to sit through them again, when they open for ATHEIST this summer.
Question for the frontwoman: Do they curtains match the drapes?
I could see people liking them, but they’re not my cup of tea. They would have been relevant in 1997.
This is a joke right? I rather listen to Waking the Cadaver all day then this shit, and i’m not kidding either! This is what gives metal a bad name. Retarded acts like these… it’s not even music, it’s not metal, it’s just plain fucking stupid.
That makes no sense. You are an idiot.
I saw them on the Haunted tour, they’re kinda meh IMO.
Music’s too busy, her back and forth vocal style is difficult to pull off which is commendable, but I fear for her longevity. The vocal melody doesn’t really fit the music either. If they reign in some elements then they have potential.
I’m glad the goth chick from mall grew up, threw away her slipknot t-shirt, and joined a band. i give them a resounding blah.
i’ve only herd a few songs by this band, whatever was one their myspace like a year ago. i like some of their guitar work and i like the vocals when she isnt sounding like the shitty clean vocals from kittie.
but that chick is pretty hot, so points for that
like them.. not the best, not the most originail, but still most cachy and enjoyable than the bunch of mediocre deathcore bands out there..
Chick is hot, music is alright. That is all
I like this band
FUCK! I don’t want to like this …..at all.
I hate the fact she is hot and they exploit that and the fact it is sooooo overproduced .
Some how , some fucking how its still visceral and br00tal. the weird ass vocal shit rules even if it is studio “trickery” .
I hate that I hate to like this , but I do.
It might be novelty maybe it will stick I don’t know.
I do know it owns the Manson horseshit above and that is sad , that bitch used to be hella creepy.
Satan forgive me.
P.S. the video sucks complete ass, like most metal videos do excluding Horse the Band’s “Birdo” and “Million Exploding Suns”
and He Who Corrupts’ “Master Of Profits”,which I know many will argue if they are even metal bands.
Last “tr00″ metal video I saw that was worth a shit ??? Morbid Angel’s “Rapture” .Which is totally gay as Immolation and Nile should have amazing videos as should Goatwhore and Cryptopsy. I say SHOULD because never have any of those bands made a video that was equal to the evil they have created sonically. NEVER!
other awthum tr00 metal videos:
Obituary -The End Complete
Entombed-Stranger Aeons
and that’s about it. sad sad sad
Oh wait Belphegor make good vids. really good, snales tits, and blasphemy, whats better? oh yeah its all shot in a old Austrian church.
oh yeah Immortal makes amazing videos but as you all know not in the way that anyone should be proud of, unless you are in IWABO or the Monkees.
I meant ” …snakes, tits and blasphemy……”
Hard to say. I can’t decide if it’s catchy metalcore/deathcore or generic.
I cannot fucking stand this band. I have tried to like them more than once and they just suck. I dont know how they got on a bill will Atheist and The Faceless but I will surely be outside for their set. At least it’s not one of those gothic metal bands…
by the way the video sucks too, I am tired of all these XtreeM br00tal videos.
What’s wrong with Gothic Metal? I’m a fan of My Dying Bride, Epica, Type O Negative, and Paradise Lost. IT isn’t all crap like CoF is.
I second Mancubus. Although in gothic metal a lot of bands do tend to sound too alike, there are some that aren’t all bad and actually stand out.
I totally love ‘em. Doesn’t hurt that the vocalist is gorgeous.
never paid attention to the agonist before, but i liked this song enough to research. they sound pretty good on the camera phone bootlegs on youtube, even alissas voice is as brutal *and* as in-tune live as it is in the vid…but when i saw their myspace picture i couldnt go on. i may be shallow…but goddamn…
thumbs up. i got a boner and it’s a rather unique blend of non-unique styles. actually, it’s kind of interesting to me! aghast, maybe it’s just the blood leaving my brain for another organ…..
Their fist album was generic and boring but not terrible. The new album is actually pretty damn good, and the more I listen to it the more I like it.
eh i think the fart i had while the video was playing contributed greatly to the song. thats not to say it sounds terrible, cuz my farts are amazing, but ya…pretty meh. and i hate to be mean, but the singer looks like an image-obsessed narcissistic whore.
*fart*
I’ll bite. The music isn’t the most original, but I do like it. While the vocals are overproduced, I like the layering and the melodic interlude with the backing growl is… Very interesting. I think that they do have potential, but the video production is shit, overplaying the hot chick aspect is all well and good, but with the tone of the song it should be more visceral. Not something I would keep in heavy rotation, but better than most. Much better than wigger slam.
I like this band but I prefer their debut. Yes, this album has less breakdowns and creativity but like a few posters said, the vocals sound over produced sometimes on this album, the songs are a mess sometimes and have no structure and to much going on in the background.
And after listening to the album I did get the feeling that they were trying to prove themselves.
Watch, next album they will say that they they are simplifying it a bit and gonna have more structure and that album will be awesome.
A good band that could be great.
Goddamn that video is useless. I don’t see what’s particularly attractive about the band, or her.
no sale. stick to having periods not fronting metal bands ladies
She’s pretty sexy. It’s not the worst thing I’ve heard today. Not sure about those vocals…sounds massively overproduced (and possibly a dude growling in there with her? I dunno). I guess I could give them a listen but I wouldn’t go out of my way to do so…pretty average.
I can’t believe how sexist you guys are being! She’s a wonderful singer and human being and it’s not right of you all to objectify her like this. It’s about the music, not her body!!
And if you believe that, I’ve got a Waking The Cadaver cd that doesn’t suck to sell you
I’ll say the same thing I said about their video for “business suits and combat boots”
Great tits and a pretty face do not a good music video make
My band is opening for these guys with threat signal. I dig them it should be a good show come check it out
However, this is miles ahead of where they were last album. They’ve gone from extraordinarily meh to just on the border of meh. However, they are too busy. Whether it’s conscious or not, they blend styles too much and it sounds chaotic. Video sucks too.
not that impressive but still a little better than some bands with female vocals.
Only complaint is the video. I hate when bands have it, so the front woman (or man) is using harsh vocals, but in the video it just looks like (s)he is singing normally. Pisses me off.
The music does sound too chaotic, and not in a good way, but Alissa’s vocals are impressive. Also I like the classical influences.
But you know, at least she’s not whoring herself out like Maria Brink.
Pretty mediocre metalcore rehash with a female singer. They’re from Montreal, so they play here in Toronto a lot. I’ve been tempted to check out one of the shows only because the singer is so hot. Other than that, it’s been done before.
I’m actually somewhat neutral on Agonist. Its not /terrible/, but its certainly not excellent stuff.
Not a fan. First album was garbage and the second album laced direction and not in an Angel Dust/Into the Pandemonium kind of way but rather the, “We had no fucking idea what we wanted to do when we came into the studio”.
Oh, and live she sacrifices power for range so you can barely hear her over the guitar and drums during her cleans. And she’s a bitch in person. I met her at her merch table after the show and said, “Hey, I’m seeing you again when I take by brother to see Atheist in July since he’s a big Tony Choy fan” and she was a total asshole about it. She replied with, “Well, I don’t really know who we’re even touring with” in the most bitchy voice there is. As in most bands that I’ve met would have responded with, “Great. See you then.” Fuck her, her shitty band, and PETA.
She’s straight edge too, if you need another reason to hate her.
WHAT!?!?! I HATE THIS BITCH!
hahaha
The music is decent, my opinion, nothing to tell your friends about. But she is definitely the most beautiful woman in METAL I’ve ever seen, again my opinion.
The only reason they’re signed to Cantury Mediocre is because of sex appeal and nothing more. So of course, the Hot Topic kiddos are eating this stuff up and leterous old men like to see them live while thinking of the singer bending over, spreading her ass cheeks, revealing a pink jazmine-scented anus, so then they yell “no baby, your shit don’t stink!!!”
First album=Boring metalcore crap.
New album=Interesting melodeath madness… Not that it isn’t lacking.
Let’s pray for some more evolution and this band could kick a shitload of ass…
Her body is a sell feature for this mediocre band, which is unfortunate; because they do have a lot of potential.
Meh.