THE AGONIST – LULLABIES FOR THE DORMANT MIND
Century Media
23rd February 2009

Wow, instantly you are presented with a full force of drums, an amazing contrast of heavenly and sick vocals and brutal melodic riffs. Alissa’s ability to be able to switch between clean and scream so flippantly is astonishing.
The album kicks off with The Tempest (The Siren’s Song; The Banshee’s Cry), no doubt a tribute to their formal pseudonym. There is a great section towards the end of the track with a lovely sounding melody on the bass. Following this is the first single form the album, …And Their Eulogies Sang Me To Sleep. The false start unprepares you for a brutal dosage of blast beating awesomeness. Some how The Agonist manage to get harmonious vocals to work well over the top of this, though I guess that would not be too dissimilar to some symphonic black metal, my ears are just not used to it with metalcore! And is there a horse in outro?! This is then followed by current single, Thank You, Pain, both videos can be viewed on their MySpace.
Waiting Out The Winter sets a pace on a different step, though if you skip forward to Swan Lake, yes it really is that, but in the form of layered vocals in ‘a cappella’. Absolutely stunning to say the least. The entire album displays tight brutal beats like a bashing machine and strong melodic chuggy fast paced riffing. Concluding the album, Chlorpromazine puts the cherry on top with the drumming from Simon being excelled further with an array of beats. The sound of The Agonist excites me, well written and structured and tight as hell, of course, without a doubt the must stunning feature being the vocal talents of Allisa. ★★★★★

Album Of The Week 18/01/10
Xander