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AGENT STEEL: NO OTHER GODZ BEFORE ME

 AGENT STEEL: NO OTHER GODZ BEFORE ME

   Thrash, Speed, UFOs, conspiracies and all things cosmic and galactic, what more could a Metalhead possibly want? Surfacing a meer 14 years after their previous release, No Other Godz Before Me is the latest full length release from veteran speed merchants Agent Steel. After undergoing an almost complete line up change which includes the return of original vocalist John Cyriis, Agent Steel sound hotter and faster than a UFO an every bit as metallic. 
   No Other Godz Before Me is a start-to-finish shredding slab of crunchy riffs, machine gun drumming and all topped off with John Cyriis' totally unique and otherworldly bizzare vocals. Whether you want to label Agent Steel a Speed, Thrash or just good old fashioned Heavy Metal band, it is entirely down to individual opinion. To put it plainly, this is a very unique album with a sound that would be utterly pointless trying to pigeonhole, so just trust that No Other Godz Before Me is fast and furious Metal all over.
   Musically, the album is crammed with blistering solos, twin guitars, soaring vocals, shredding riffs and thick bass tones; well produced and crisp in sound. Intro "Passage To Afron-V" and outro "Entrance To Afron-V" provide the spooky and chilling atmospherics and sit neatly at either end of 9 light-speed tracks. "Crypts Of Galactic Damnation" serves as a fitting trial by fire to any unsuspecting listener who may not be sufficiently prepared for the breakneck Speed of the music, or John's rather individual vocal style. 
   There are a number of highlights on No Other Godz Before Me, notably the punishingly fast and intricately detailed title track "No Other Godz Before Me". Another stand moment has to be the backbreaking heaviness of "Trespassers", a collosal shred-fest which boasts some of the weightiest riff work of the whole album. The captivating chugging and unrelenting speed of "The Devil's Greatest Trick" is guaranteed to cause whiplash. Exploring weird and perplexing new directions, "Sonata Cósmica" is as heavy as it is odd, with unstoppable double bass thundering and all the delicious solos and crunchy riffs you could desire. 
   Turning up the brutality, "Veterans Of Disaster" and "Carousel Of Vagrant Souls" deliver consecutive hammer blows of energetic groovy Thrash, armed with payloads of devastatingly heavy guitar work. Rounding off proceedings, "The Incident" and "Outer Space Connection" deliver much more of the same which is in no way a bad thing. Maintaining the pace and complexity, the later stages of No Other Godz Before Me are every bit as fast and heavy as the earlier numbers.
   Overall, No Other Godz Before Me is a blistering and baffling business. If you like your Metal dynamic, intricate and seismically heavy, all done at blurring speeds then Agent Steel are the band for you and this is some essential listening. 

NO NONSENSE METAL RATING: 8/10
For fans of; MEGADETH, OVERKILL, HELLOWEEN, ENFORCER

You can watch the full album review here on Youtube:


THANK YOU FOR READING! FEEL FREE TO COMMENT OR ASK ANY QUESTIONS! DON'T FORGET TO SHARE AND SUBSCRIBE! SUPPORT METAL! 

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