Agathocles
Review: Highly reasonable grindcore with an unartistic ethic, this release still remains some of the most resoundingly apt music ever created in this style. Preachy politically correct lyrics accompany music that is at times both ludicrously righteous and amateur, the sound sustaining the ranting. Don't count this as anything other than leftist propaganda with a human edge.
Voiced in barre chords, this work employs a strategic sense of musical arrangement without less abrasive than any other grindcore outfit. Although Agathocles aim for brute simplicity, the musicianship here is not that much less advanced if at all than your average garage death metal band, and is good listening as well as a compressive burst of angst/anger/frustration/grind.
At the time, this CD was everything the band had recorded, with some duplicate songs for live and early versions. One of the cooler attempts this album makes is an integration of "poetry," which retains some claim to artistry often, and although written in unforgivably bad english is forgivable and enjoyable for its simple stupidity. There is some conflict with such positive poetry on a grindcore album, so some seriously critical works are added, most of which rank low on the artistry scale.
Lyrics are ludicrous for reasons of awkward language and moralistic righteousness, preaching in your face in simple and often, simplistic, terms. The intent to manipulate is clear. Outside of political conformity, the lyrics on this album enounce a savage rhythm to accompany pulsing and colliding streams of guitar tone motion. Songs are structured on a somewhat linear basis of introduction-verse-chorus type stuff, with chorus parts usually abstracted to a couple lines of text, a new riff, and a guitar fill. While it is three-barre-chord rock, there is creativity in the arrangement and latent inspiration in concept.