2007 hails a new era for Scottish
metallers Agankast as they shed their dark metal skin and grow a new
hardened thrash armour-plated skin.
With this new sound Agankast have
given their fans a taste of what is to come and also a taste of what has
gone before. With 'Walking With Angels', the first of the two disc’s, we are
treated to the old sound of the band and dark riff laden metal. With the
second disc 'Running With Devils', we're shown the new thrash metal path the band
are following. Also with this new sound comes the news that this album will
be the last to feature former Atomkraft shredder Rob Matthew, who has been
replaced by the extraordinary talents of the 17 year old speed merchant
Steven Gray.
But first off we have ‘Walking With Angels’, which is riff
laden doom metal at its finest, with Matthew’s showing his years of
experience on the metal scene with some earth shattering riffs throughout.
The opener and title track ‘Walking
With Angels’ is a good example of the doom laden metal that got the band
the prestigious slot on the 2006 Bloodstock bill, with Allan Scott’s deep
gruff vocals and Matthews and fellow shredder Ciaran Wright’s superb
guitar work.
The guitar fuelled metal keeps on
coming with the almost Slayer like guitars on ‘Insomniac’, but with Scott’s
vocals you know it's Agankast your listening too.
The spellbinding riffs just keep on coming with
this portion of the album with the likes of ‘Little America’, the
doom laden darker side of the band with ‘March To Hell’ and the excellent
‘English Heart Scottish Blood’.
The short instrumental ‘Morebattle’ acts as a
prelude to probably the best track on the first disc the riff spewn
‘Mortality’. A track that more than sniffs of Battle Metal, it has that
real Scandinavian metal feel to it.
The final track on this the first disc is
‘Crematorium’, another all out metal assault that once again sees the
guitars of Matthew reigning supreme on this deeply dark monster.
On now to the second disc ‘Running With Devils’, on
which we see the birth of the new Agankast, a more driven Thrash Metal
onslaught, very much in the vein of early Venom. This is no holds barred
fret melting metal.
Things get underway with ‘Heathen’ and instantly
the change in style is apparent with a more intense guitar sound and a much
faster turn of pace to the whole sound.
The same intensity is continued throughout the
album and never ceases as the album continues with ‘Razorwire’ another all
out shredfest, and in much the similar vein ‘She Bleeds Blood’. This time
with the guitars leading from the front as they rampage through the track
at break neck speed.
This is a constant factor throughout this second
portion of the album with the likes of ‘Driving Out The Demons’, the fret
melting ‘This War’, and probably the best track of the bunch being the pile
driving force of the instrumental ‘Soulstealer’, which is very much in the
bay side 80’s metal vein.
This new sound that the band have chosen is very
much a European scene with the likes of Norway’s black metal bands and
even the Japanese capturing the whole full on Thrash Metal vibe at the
moment. So this could be a very lucrative move by the band if they manage
to tap into that market. Personally I think the old sound is more fitting
to this countries attitude to metal at the moment and is more to my own
personal tastes, but I wish the band all the best with this new direction
and I sincerely hope 2007 bears fruit for the guys. |
