Artist: Agent Steel
Label: AOS/Artillery Music/The End
Release Date: 7/8/03
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Title: Order of the Illuminati Artist: Agent Steel Label: AOS/Artillery Music/The End Release Date: 7/8/03 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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3 | ||
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4 | ||
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4 | ||
| Famine's Review | 5 | ||
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Go to Reader Reviews | ||
Abyss's Review:
First off, I can't believe my spell check recognizes 'illuminati'. The damn thing doesn't recognize 'steepen' but it apparently has no problem with 'illuminati'. Go figure. Well, as most of you probably know, 'illuminati' refers to a group with a shared enlightenment (if you don't know this... well, you're dumber than my computer), and loyal fans of Agent Steel will most likely feel that that is the perfect adjective for this band.
"One could almost call these guys Renaissance men due to the amount of metallic ground they cover on this record." One could almost call these guys Renaissance men due to the amount of metallic ground they cover on this record. Order of the Illuminati is a mixture of power metal, thrash, speed, etc. etc. that is interesting in its own right, even if I'm not personally on board. This band has been around the block a few times and they have got their style (or blend of styles) down pretty well, but they also strike me as a little formulaic. That's not an easy statement to defend when it's used to describe an album that shifts relatively effortlessly from one metallic genre to another. What I mean by it is that this band doesn't really meld different styles into their sound, they actually just skip from one sound to the other. Some songs are complete power metal and others are thrash, and still others switch between genres within the songs themselves, but the parts just seem to contrast each other rather than interact. For this reason, the thrash sounds like formulaic thrash, the power sounds like formulaic power, etc, etc.
That's not to say this record is bad by any stretch of the imagination. Vocalist Bruce Hall is a musical chameleon, sounding at different times like Halford, Dickenson, Tate, and very rarely even like Joey Belladonna. He shows off his range without hurting my ears (something more power metal vocalists should consider doing) and his knack for melody is evident if not obvious. The guitar work as well is pretty solid in its craft. Axemen Juan Garcia and Bernie Versailles play crisp leads and I have nothing bad to say about either of them (alright, I admit I could have bad things to say about someone who chooses to call himself 'Bernie"). But while there are some high points on this record ("Avenger", "Insurrection") nothing is overly impressive or compelling.
"I feel this album falls a little short if it hopes to expand their fan base significantly, however." I do think fans of Agent Steel will be quite satisfied with this record. Hell, if they've been fans this long why would they stop now? I do feel this album falls a little short if it hopes to expand that fan base significantly, however. One word review: Good.
Death's Review:
"Agent Steel always were intriguing enough to be interesting and definitely stood out from the rest of the metallic pack." I was really into Agent Steel for a while back in the day. Skeptics Apocalypse, Unstoppable Force -- classic melodic and catchy thrash with ultra-high pitched screamer Jon Cyriis belting out space-age and mysterious lyrics - Agent Steel always were intriguing enough to be interesting and definitely stood out from the rest of the metallic pack. They had my attention. I'd always wondered what had happened to the band, but when they returned with Omega Conspiracy, once I heard that had a new singer, I wasn't too motivated to check it out.
"An awesome production and full-color booklet emphasize the professional-level attention brought to this project." Perhaps I was wrong. Their new album, Order of the Illuminatti, features old-school guitarists Juan Garcia and Bernie Versailles, and is a modern-day melodic thrashfest that kicks serious ass. Most importantly, singer Bruce Hall is also top-notch, and but/for any impossible to achieve comparison to Cyriis, he sounds pretty fucking cool, if you like high-pitched prog/power metal types with a thrashy, aggressive edge, as I do. An awesome production and full-color booklet emphasize the professional-level attention brought to the project. The musicianship is outstanding, the lyrics are intriguing, the riffs are catchy and sometimes complex, and all-in-all, Order of the Illuminati is a worthy heir to the Agent Steel name. Overall, the songs may ultimately fall a notch short of the charisma of the best Cyriis-era material, and I - as a fan - surely would be psyched if he ever came back into the fold, but that is no knock on Hall. This is a good album and it is worthy of your attention.
Hel's Review:
While I am familiar with some of Agent Steel's older material, I have never really paid a ton of attention to this band. There's no particular reason, it's just one of those things. So I don't have a lot of historical insight or deep thoughts that will unerringly resound with their loyal long-time fans. Instead, I can give you the impressions of a metalhead who has been around for a while, and can give you a take on this album from an old-school perspective.
"The music is undeniably old-school thrash metal."
"Order of the Illuminati is an incredibly solid and enjoyable record from this veteran act." The music is undeniably old-school thrash metal. Famine even went so far as to describe it to me as, "Perhaps the best thrash album since Testament's The Gathering." Now, I wouldn't go that far, but the statement made me perk up, as I'm sure was his intent. The musicianship is truly shredding, from the guitars, complete with blistering solos, to the powerful kit-destroying drumming. The vocals are of the high-pitched variety more commonly associated with power metal these days, but here they hearken back to the early days of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.
The lyrical subject is described by the album title, Order of the Illuminati, and I always enjoy this topic, ever since I first discovered it through one of television's greatest animated series, Gargoyles, so I am well pleased by this aspect. So, all of the elements for a great metal album are in place, and indeed, if this is a style that appeals to you, you will most certainly appreciate this disc. Folks who are not fond of high-pitched male singing may not be enthralled, but in all other aspects, I don't believe you'll have any reason to complain. Order of the Illuminati is an incredibly solid and enjoyable record from this veteran act.
Famine's Review:
This is perhaps the best thrash album since Testament's The Gathering. Definitely old school technicality and aggression drawn from a time when it was called "speed metal."
How many modern thrash albums (from the old school OR the new school) are using a style so technical in riffing and arrangement? Not many. And it is nice to have a thrash album again showcasing a voice that is different. How many thrash bands are there that actually use singing these days? Not many. We need more shit like this. I hope Death Angel, Nuclear Assault, Vio-Lence & Exodus come out with quality albums that can teach the new schoolers a bit about the value of diverse vocals. In the meantime, anyone who considers themselves a thrash fan should hear this album. Unfortunately, Order Of The Illuminati will go virtually unnoticed in the US - which is a shame. If this album had At The Gates clone vocals over the top, the band would be hailed new kings of thrash.
"We need more shit like this."
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