CD Review: The Agonsist-Prisoners(2012)

Released June 5, 2012

(Century Media Records)

Hailing from Montreal Quebec , Canada this group is a force to be reckoned with as lead singer Alissa can hold her own with the onslaught of female leads in the metal world.

I find it unfair that the female leads are always compared to each other and not just given credit when they are good(or bad).

There are so many female singers in metal bands or female metal bands-they might not get as much attention as their male counterparts.

This is a heavy brutal album and yet there is so much going on here musically and vocally that it is hard to explain it.

This is not for everyone out there and that is why I have the samplers and one song so you the reader can decide if you like it or not.

Here Alissa explains the making of the album etc.

Lead vocalist Alissa White-Gluz, an ardent animal rights activist and advocate for cruelty-free living, wields here vocabulary like a rapier, thrusting and parryinglyrical phrases that will have listeners running to their thesauruses, physics books and dog-eared copiesof Kafka alike. “I have this huge existential war going on in myhead about life, death and freedom and Ialso do my best to live in a way that promotes respecting all forms of life. On top of that, I intentionallywrote some songs to be “sophisticated” - that is, not “easy listening” at all. You need a tuned ear andpatience to fully appreciate some of these songs.” White-Gluz explains. Musically, the album offers noeasy out either. Times shift, melodies manifest themselves and entangle themselves, serpentine,throughout tracks and parts of tracks, engaging the listener and forcing him or her to be present tograsp the full scale and complexity of the album. Danny adds, “I have come to learn which chordprogressions Alissa can really take to amazing places vocally. Particularly in a melodic chorus or bridge Iwill sometimes purposely select a chord progression because I know she can do something really greatwith it.(Band's Bio)

Thank you for reading this

Written by

Anthony Nadeau