AGMEN: Damnation CD. old school black metal with some death metal. IncludesTorr cover version. CHECK VIDEOS

Description

Agmen come from Czech Republic, and this is their first album. They play old school black metal with some death metal touches. They âœsingâ in Czech and there are melodic guitars, violent parts, acoustic parts, fast parts, slow parts in this one. Their influences are quite varied and you can find good tracks, such as ‘Zatraceni’ (Mayhem like), ‘Nesmrtelny’ (Emperor without keyboards)and the Torr cover, ‘Kladivo Na Carodejnice’ which sounds like Kreator. The recording is very good for what they’re doing. The sound is raw without being sloppy,and I really like the fact that everything is balanced. The bass is very audible, and the thin guitar sound is perfectly complemented by the low-end of the bass and the percussion. The vocals are barely louder than the guitars, so everything works out. No back cover

Full-length, Breath of Night / Merciless
February 7th, 1999

1. Andel Utrpeni 04:37
2. Apokalypsa 03:40
3. Temne Hory 04:45
4. Pisne Krkavcu 05:26
5. Mise Dobra 03:32
6. Zatraceni 02:39
7. Nesmrtelny 05:22
8. Pisne Temnych Noci 05:41
9. Kladivo Na Carodejnice 04:10
Total playing time 39:52

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Worth digging up – 80%
Written by Wraith on April 22nd, 2005

This is a highly enjoyable black metal disc that, while staying true to that genreâ™s general tenets of simplicity and rawness, also includes some distinctly melo-death riffing. The general aesthetic is as expected, meaning non-complex riffing and melodies with basic drumwork that never gets distracting, and rasped vocals. As for whatâ™s actually coming out of the vocalistâ™s mouth, itâ™s anyoneâ™s guess. The lyrics are not in English (my guess is that theyâ™re in the bandâ™s native Czech), and the insert provides nothing more than a drawing of some dude sodomizing a goat. Humorous, perhaps, but not overly informative.
Whatâ™s pleasantly surprising about this record is that, despite the general aesthetic mentioned, what the listener doesnâ™t have to suffer through is one more band blatantly ripping off the riffs of Burzum and/or Darkthrone. There are some Transilvanian Hunger-esque sections of racing drums (heavy on the cymbals) and shifting chords, but you never get the idea that youâ™ve heard it all before. Tempos vary nicely, and much of the riffing is actually reminiscent of Sacramentum, and in some cases, perhaps oddly, even very early In Flames. There is a definite folkiness.
One other thing that helps to define the disc is the production. While not stellar by any means, itâ™s appropriate, and is notably bassier and thicker than the norm in this genre. In other words, thereâ™s none of that thin, trebly, Under a Funeral Moon sound. The fact that the vocals stay somewhat low as far as rasping goes helps add to this thickness in tone.
All in all, no one is reinventing the wheel here, but the band have put out a highly competent disc that should be enjoyed by anyone who prefers black metal without the aid of a symphony orchestra, and even most fans of melo-death looking for something a bit darker.