Agga- 4 Track Promo

Lord of Babylon is back to unleash four new Agga tracks. For those not familiar Agga is a one-man project from Florida that plays a nice blend of thrash and black metal. In my review for their debut I used the term epic metal to describe them and by the sound of these tracks that appears to still be the perfect term to describe their music. Though it is difficult to tell much from four tracks The Lord of Babylon makes one thing very clear, he is still on his game and Agga will continue to strive to be the best it can be.

One thing that has improved since the debut is the mixing. The drums aren't so high up in the mix and it really just makes the listening experience more enjoyable. Other than that this is exactly what I had imagined the new material would sound like. This is by no means a bad thing and it is not simply a carbon copy of the self-titled album. That being said fans of the first release will not be disappointed.

The four tracks featured here clock in at just under thirty minutes. Two of the songs are instrumentals and they are both sound fantastic. The first instrumental titled "Prelude to Time" is possibly the most catchy track ever recorded by Agga. The constant stream of ancient sounding tremolo picked sections make the seven minute length go by faster than an Anal Cunt track. The instrumentals may have vocals included by the time an actual release surfaces but in all honesty, "Prelude to Time" sounds near perfect the way it is. The other instrumental "The New Age Of Tiamat" contains a bit of a surprise. The track gets very groovy about halfway in, the transition from speedy riffs to crushing grooves is done almost seamlessly. At first this moment doesn't seem to fit but upon further listening it sort of grows on you and makes for a genuinely heavy moment.

The vocals seem much more scratchy than before. They are also quite a bit easier to distinguish compared to the previous release. Aside from the chanting featured on "When the Tablets of Destiny are Broken" we don't really hear any clean vocals here. The songs are more thrash oriented than most of the material on Agga. They still maintain the unique sound that was displayed in the past, they just have more of a "full speed ahead" attitude going for them.

Overall Agga appears to be up to the task of following up their debut with something just as good, if not better. These new tracks definitely show that the amazing first impression that was given initially was not a fluke. If the rest of the upcoming album is up to par with this The Lord of Babylon will have an excellent album on his hands to say the least. Definitely keep an eye out for Agga.

Agga- Agga

Agga is a beast that consists of one member that goes by the name Lord of Babylon. The band is based in Florida and plays a style that I can only define as epic metal. Prepare yourself for some very well produced DIY metal that will have many bedroom band members putting their instruments up realizing that they can never bring forth a slab of metal as epic as the likes of Agga have with this album.

The album begins with a nice little intro and by the sounds of things nobody will be surprised to hear that the lyrical themes Agga deal in are related to Babylonian and Sumerian Mythology. After the intro ceases the first heavy track on the album kicks off. Titled after the sole member of Agga "The Lord Of Babylon" sets an atmosphere that makes the listener feel as though they are stumbling through a desert as vultures circle awaiting a corpse to feast upon. Fear not, the album doesn't fall in quality from here. All the tracks aside from the intro run over five minutes, while in many cases this could be the ruin of a band on their debut it is not the case for Agga. Lord Of Babylon manages to hold your attention without loosening his grip throughout the whole forty minute playtime of the record.

The vocal attack featured here is fairly straightforward. They consist of shrieks belted out in a psychotic manner at times. Cleans come into the mix on occasion as well as some spoken word sections. The cleans are very reminiscent of those featured on Morbid Angel's Domination album, very deep and booming in terms of tone. The style fits the epic atmosphere the instrumental work sets up.

Though the drumming on the album is coming from a drum machine it doesn't take too much away from the overall vibe the album gives off. As usual a human drummer wouldn't hurt but in Agga's case the main focus isn't on the drum sound and little attention is shown. Essentially it just serves it's purpose, and that purpose is to keep the pace for the display of instrumental mastery that the rest of the elements featured are achieving.

Overall it's hard not to enjoy Agga's debut. When listening to the album the forty minutes flies by like nothing and leaves your mouth watering, but it's okay all you have to do is click the play button again. This release is highly recommended to any fan of metal in general. It really is a shame this band hasn't gained more exposure. Prepare yourself for a journey that only The Lord Of Babylon has the power to take you on...