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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who has been replaced by the extraordinary talents of the 17 year old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.
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