life of agony

(9/10) The history of Life Of Agony is a really exciting one. Like a rollercoaster the band went through ups and downs, all leading to their newest album „A Place Where There’s No More Pain“.

But let’s take it one by one. It was in 1993 when an album almost turned the metal world upside down. „River Runs Red“ was the name of the debut, released by a four-piece band hailing from Brooklyn, New York – Life Of Agony. It was this energetic mixture of hardcore, metal and rock that created a lot of excitement and the record is still one of my personal faves. Songs like the title track, „This Time" and „Through and Through“ are intense songs with an intensity the band never reached again to such an extend.

„Ugly“ the successor, was a good album too even though it couldn't reach the class of the debut. The beginning of the end, the first end, was in 1997 when singer Keith Caputo left the band, being replaced by Ugly Kid Joe singer Whitfield Crane. Two years later the band announced their split and the first chapter of Life Of Agony was closed.

The second era started in 2003 with two sold-out shows in New York, followed by a new studio album entitled „Broken Valley“ but after a few more years the disbanded for a second time at the end of 2011.

It looks like the four guys can’t let loose of the band since it was in 2014 when Life Of Agony has been re-vitalized and lucky enough the quartet wrote and recorded new songs that ended up on their fifth longplayer. Life Of Agony found a new home with Napalm Records and end of April fans can finally hold some new stuff of the NY-based metal gang in their hands.

Comparing the new longplayer with the debut wouldn’t be fair. Times changed and things evolved. However, „A Place Where There’s No More Pain“ became an excellent album that I haven’t expected to be that strong and energetic. It feels like the hiatus had a positive impact – a period in which the quartet got hungry again for heavy alternative metal that includes all Life Of Agony trademarks – excellent vocals by Mina Caputo, razorblade-sharp riffs by Joey Z. and a groove machine that consist out of Alan Robert and Sal Abruscato. This original line-up unveils an album that is filled with ten highlights. I couldn’t indentify any filler on this longplayer that is bursting with energy.

„Meet the Maker’ kicks it off with a modern riffing and vocal lines that are a 100% Life Of Agony. There is a certain melancholy embedded in the opener that’s balanced with a great melody. Another song I would like to stand still for a moment is the title track that is build in a thrilling fashion. With a moderate paced verse and a more upbeat chorus the song is a treat for ears and mind.

„Dead Speak Kindly“ is a darker song with a reduced tempo before „A New Low”, with a dominant bass line, slowly creeps into your mind. A thrilling break is the pepperoni on this metal pizza, making things even more tasteful.

The catchiest song on the album is „Bag of Bones“. ‚Catchy’ in this context doesn’t mean commercial. It just sticks after the first time listening to it, before „Walking Catastrophe“ dominates the scene with heavy riffs. The end of the longplayer is a quiet one. „Little Spots of You“ is a wistful piano ballad that includes a lot of pain as well as some light-hearted moments. But even these lighter moments are covered in grey shades flowing round your soul. This song is very unusual as well as it’s a great experiment with a ‚deadly’ end.

„A Place Where There’s No More Pain“ became the expected awesome new Life Of Agony longplayer that shows that band in great shape and form. This album is the best one since „Ugly“ maybe even since „River Runs Red“. The four piece kept the intensity in their music that became more mature but for sure not less loud. This album is a ‚must have’.

(9/10)

Tracklist:

1. Meet My Maker
2. Right This Wrong
3. A Place Where There’s No More Pain
4. Dead Speak Kindly
5. A New Low
6. World Gone Mad
7. Bag Of Bones
8. Walking Catastrophe
9. Song For The Abused
10. Little Spots Of You

Label: Napalm Records

Genre: Alternative Metal

Release Date EU: April 28th, 2017

Brooklyn hard rock legends LIFE OF AGONY have completed work on their new album and Napalm Records debut "A Place Where There's No More Pain", which will be released April 28^th via Napalm Records.  So far only one song from the album has been released to the public, the title track “A Place Where There’s No More Pain”. 

Today Invisible Oranges and Brooklyn Vegan are stoked to debut the second single from A Place Where There's No More Pain. Get a first listen to “World Gone Mad”.

"The message behind ‘World Gone Mad’ could not be more relevant to what's going on all over this planet right now. People are more divided than ever, and if we continue to ignore the fact that this world is busting at its seams and just continue to "stick our heads underground," like the lyrics suggest, we will see a madness in our lifetime like we've never experienced before,” says bassist Alan Robert.

Brooklyn's hard rock legends Life Of Agony recently signed a worldwide record deal with Napalm Records. They are currently hard at work on their new album and Napalm Records debut A Place Where There's No More Pain, which is due in early 2017. The first audio sample from A Place Where There's No More Pain are available to listen to in an exclusive album teaser courtesy of Rolling Stone HERE.

Life Of Agony returned to the stage and performed on multiple festival dates in Europe over the summer of 2014. The famed River Runs Red line-up, of vocalist Mina Caputo, guitarist Joey Z, bassist Alan Robert and drummer Sal Abruscato were excited to take the stage together once again after a three-year hiatus.

Stay tuned for more.

As mentioned in an earlier post, LOA drummer Abruscato was injured causing the band to cancel their upcoming European tour dates. Sal will be fully recovered soon and the band will be returning to Europe this November. The European jaunt kicks off November 13th in Vienna, Austria and runs through December 10th in Aalborg, Denmark.

Here are the dates for Europe plus two North America shows:

LIFE OF AGONY Northeast Dates:

9/30: Clifton Park, NY @ Upstate Concert Hall

10/2: Lakewood, NJ @ Rock Carnival Festival

LIFE OF AGONY European Tour:

11/13: Vienna, Austria @ Simm City

11/15: Gdansk, Poland @ Stary Manez

11/16: Warsaw, Poland @ Progresia Music Zone

11/18: Aschaffenburg, Germany @ Coolste

11/19: Eindhoven, Netherlands @ Klokgebouw

11/30: Saarbrucken, Germany @ The Garage

12/1: Bochum, Germany @ Zeche

12/3: Augsburg, Germany @ Kantine

12/4: Herford, Germany @ TBD

12/6: Hamburg, Germany @ Markthalle

12/8: Stockholm, Sweden @ Fryshuset Klubben

12/9: Gothenburg, Sweden @ Sticky Fingers

12/10: Aalborg, Denmark @ Aalborg Metal Festival

The Dynamo Open Air has a long history. Years before the famous Wacken Open Air opened the gates for the first time, it was the Dynamo Open Air in Eindhoven, Holland that brought thousands of metalheads to Noord Brabant. Many influencial thrash bands like Testament, Anthrax, Laaz Rocket... made the festival to a real highlight in metal, with a peak of more than 100.000 visitors in 1995.

20 years later, in 2015, new life was blown into this iconic festival, followed now by the new 2016 edition. The line-up for this one-day festival is oustanding. Bands like Anthrax are coming back to Eindhoven but also Life Of Agony and Sacred Reich are part of the line-up. A highlight is for sure the show of the re-energised Metal Church with their new/old frontman Mike Howe. So, there is no reason for not going to Eindhoven on July 16th this year.

Dynamo Metal Fest homepage

One of the most influencial metal bands, Life Of Agony, signed a deal with Napalm Records. There will be a new album in 2016 which will be named "A Place Where There Will Be No More Pain".

The iconic band from New York unvealed already the cover which you can find in this post.

Bassist Alan Robert comments:
"I think our fans know that our music comes from a very real place of suffering, from all of us in the band. Many of our fans have told us over the years that sharing our personal struggles has been cathartic for them in healing the pain in their own lives. That uplifting energy we share at the shows, gives us hope that there's light at the end of the tunnel. And for us and hopefully our fans, that short time when we're all together is a place where there's no more pain."