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Title: Sieben
Artist: Agonoize
Genre: Hellectro
Release Date: 9th November 2007
Label: Out of Line



Introduction

AGONOIZE are one of those projects representing the so called “Hellectro” genre, which basically means harsh and angry and in most cases distorted vocals, sinister lyrics and club-friendly beats. The German project was founded in 2002 by Mike Johnson and Oliver Senger .The line-up was later completed by Chris L. Their first album ‘Assimilation: Chapter One’ was released in 2004 followed by several EPs in the same year. It shouldn't take long before a new musical prove of life in the shape of an EP called ‘Evil gets an Upgrade’. The second album ‘999’ was then released in October 2005. In 2006 they re-released their first album which was only available in the US under the title ‘Assimilation: Chapter Two’. Their new album is called ‘Sieben’ (‘Seven’).


Members

Chris L. - Lyrics, Vocals
Mike Johnson - Synths
Oliver Senger - Synths


Website

http://www.agonoize.de/ / http://www.myspace.com/agonoize 


Track Review (CD 1)

01. C.O.A. - 5:29
In case you're wondering what the title means: It is a short form for Church of Agonoize. Once you're in, you'll never get out again. The track starts with a rather minimal intro consisting of minimalist sequences and no drums. This sequence leads us to a choral of People continuously screaming: C.O.A, it almost sounds like a conjuration. Simultaneously a distorted beat arrangement appears which is also very restrained but stays not like that so sometime later the massive beats sounding out of your speakers. Other elements of the songs are organ-like melodies and trance elements.

02. I against me - 5:29
From what I can tell, the lyrics deal with someone who fights an inner conflict, but that's just a guess. No time to rest is the motto here. After a short intro sequence, a beat starts which is hammering like a machinegun and equipped with a heavy bass and distortion effects. The angry distorted vocals are belting against you like a slap in your face.

03. New World Disorder - 4:40
The song deals with our ruthless acting with the planet we live on and that it just doesn't stop even though we know about the consequences. What is different about this track is that that synth layers are used and those layers are also the first thing you'll hear alongside a rhythmic synth sequence that gives you a small hint, where the journey goes. Fast and heavy drumming starts. Always with distortion of course and the vocals are cold and angry as usual.

04. Femme Fatale - 5:04
This is a song with very “special” lyrics. The words “cunt” and “Fuck me” appear more than once. I'm wondering why such words are used in the lyrics, especially the word “cunt” which is in any case offence and should have no place in lyrics. The song itself starts with a low noise before a leading thing appears which already sets the pace and when the beat finally starts, you know hat time it is. Hammering and distorted beats spare and processed melodies and harsh distorted vocals.

05. Last Days on Earth - 4:50
The title already dictates the topic. It is about a woman, who is obviously fatally ill ad only has some days left until she passes away. She never cries... She just suffers in silence until the end is there. The song has unlike the others a stately tempo but the beat is nevertheless heavy so expect o ballad or something similar. Besides the typical synth lines and sequences also some melodic fragments were incorporated.

06. Gottlos - 4:58
'Godless' how the song is called in English is an anthem against the church and their sanctimony. Therefore the song is as hard as it can get lyric-wise but also sound-wise. The beats are pumping distorted and of course very club-friendly. Just minimal organ synths are responsible for a small touch of melody and it is certainly no coincidence that they are used in a song against the church.

07. Deleted - 4:10
I'm not quite sure if I’m right here, but I guess the song is about someone who's lost his memory or constantly looses memory and feels like the personality is slowly deleted. The drum arrangement has a little bit more diversity starting out with a blowing wind which is accompanied by a low distorted drum sequences before it gets replaced by a pretty usual rhythmic abstraction which at least uses some more layers.

08. Breakfast with Bundy - 3:57
I guess the title refers to Ted Bundy, the cruel and unfortunately very famous serial killer. But the song doesn’t deal with Ted Bundy, it's about the death penalty, the US is so proud of and asks if it's righteous if a state is allowed to kill a murderer. Except for the well-known fast and pumping distorted beats and the angry vocals, samples are used, but I wasn't able to understand anything because it was too unclear.

09. Unchained - 5:56
The remarkable thing about this track is that it distinguishes itself a lot from the other songs in terms of the arrangement. The beats are still processed with distortion but they aren't that forceful and pumping and sometimes even a little bit more organic. Another thing is that this song is much more atmospheric due to the use of wider textures. But the vocals are still distinctive and harsh and angry as ever.

10. Suizid - 4:12
A story's told from a person who is about to commit suicide or at least thinking about it. At least this is the fact during the first strophe, while the second one describes the events after he took the final step. You can clearly recognize how this track will be like when you hear the first driving sequences. The beats are as most of the time solid as well as danceable and the vocals are angry. While the first verse is performed, there are melody lines accompanying the vocals. The chorus turns out to be much more melodic with some synth layers.

11. Knick Knäck - 5:01
The first lines out of the song are sounding rather like they were taken from a horror movie, but I guess the real topic here is the deceit of a loved person, who literally tears your heart out of your chest. A noise sample serves as an intro here. Slowly but constantly new sequences fade in, before the first hard beats appear and show that it's time for another club tune now. At the beginning just scattered, but then with full throttle, the beats are punching in your face.

12. Koprolalie - 4:52
So now we come to another song with “special” lyrics. “Coprolalia is involuntary swearing or the involuntary utterance of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks”. A song where the words “Fuck me” and “Fucking” often appear. Not really my cup of tea. To be honest: I don't like such lyrics at all, but lets get to the arrangement. The song another club tune and therefore is driving until the end. Some synth layers spread a menacing atmosphere, but on most parts the beats and the sequencer lines dominate the scenery.


Track Review (CD 2)

01. Viva la Muerte - 3:44
A quite different drum programming in the early parts of the song surprised me. Not so much bass and a rather organic touch but just when u got used to it it's replaced by the good old stomping drum sounds. Several different synth lines give a melodic touch to the song. But they're not too dominant of course. The beats and the vocals play the major parts. One thing about the lyrics: one part of the lyrics is performed in English and another in Spanish.

02. A Crippled Mind - 5:07
Guess what's coming now....You're absolutely right. It's finally time to fill the dance floors again with another driving and sweat-inducing club song. More melodic due to the use of organ like synths during the bridge. When the time has come to start the bridge, some scattered melodic lines, spread some melancholy.

03. Intoxication - 5:28
A guy wakes up somewhere in a room, naked and with headaches and doesn't know how he got there or who this woman is who stands in front of him. Maybe he met her at the club last night but everything else is blurred. Further on with a club track, where ultra hard beats boom out of the loudspeakers and melodic sequences and also synth layers which appear now and than spend some atmosphere.

04. Opus dei - 5:02
A pretty violent scenery is what the lyrics describe. I imagine a man on his knees, who gets bashed very hard to cleanse him from his sins. What indicates that’s he's insane or maybe he just likes to be punished. The arrangement is like so many others before...danceable. Distorted beats and vocals and, menacing melodies during the chorus.

05. Zero, Zero, Eight, One - 4:56
“I think I am a lunatic, life is hard like my fucking prick”. Of course, this is just a line from the chorus, but that's the one which stands out the most. And again I’m not quite sure why such words have to be in lyricist is not comprehensible for me. Let's switch over to something different. The arrangement has a big similarity to many others on the album. It is danceable, harsh and angry. I almost feel like a broken record

06. Drowning in Isolation - 4:56
This track was a surprise for me. It is much slower than 90 percent of the other tracks and comes up with a nice and more diverse drum arrangement. Ok, they are still distorted but it's not one of those inducing club burners. Wide synth layers create a cold atmosphere here and the voice is processed in another way so its sounds rather like a robot and adds to intensify this impression

07. Paranoid 2007 - 4:08
The original version of this track was released on the ‘Paranoid Destruction MCD’ in 2003 and is now included as an updated version and it is like you would expect it from AGONOIZE. It is designed for the clubs, especially the dance floors.


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 4
Sound: 5
Extras: -
Total: 4.5


Conclusion

Most tracks of this album are designed to fill the dance floors. This is unquestionable except for some tracks which slow down a little bit and bring a little bit more diversion into the game. And that's the point. There is not much diversion here and some of the lyrics crossed the boundaries of good taste in my opinion. Words like “Cunt” or “Fuck me” should have no place in any song. That's just disgusting. The lyrics itself display nothing new and are full of the clichés you could expect in this genre. But not everything is bad. Some songs like ‘Drowning in Isolation’ are really good and full of atmosphere. For AGONOIZE fans it's a must have, but everyone else should carefully listen to it.

{jos_sb_discuss:19}

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