Agonoize- Assimilation

Artist: Agonoize
CD Title: Assimilation, Chapter One
Label: BLC Productions
Reviewer:Matthew Johnson
Date: 3/6/05

Harsh EBM at its finest, German trio Agonoize manages to take all the best aspects of bands like Suicide Commando without succumbing to the need to directly imitate their predecessors. Apocalyptic and Satanic themes abound on tracks like “Open the Gate” and “Soul of Evil,” but the arrival of the Antichrist has never been this fun to dance to. The vocals are heavily processed, of course, and the effects are put to good use, with echoing delays giving extra impact to such tracks as “To Paradise” and old-fashioned distortion keeping the catchy beats and keyboards of “Sheer Naked Aggression” balanced out with a healthy dose of evil. There are slower moments, too, like the hypnotic hopelessness of “Poisoned Earth” and the wonderfully dark atmospheres of “Lost You.” Agonoize also manage to avoid most of the pitfalls of corny movie samples. “Against” is pretty much a speech from one of the “Matrix” films set to music, but the futuristic beeps and layers are put together so well that you can forgive the band for splicing in chunks of a Hollywood blockbuster. The sample in “Die For Blood,” originally from a documentary about LSD, is immediately recognizable by anyone who’s ever heard Skinny Puppy’s “Convulsion,” but it feels more like homage than plagiarism. Agonoize stick to the formula, but they do it successfully, making music on their own terms instead of churning out cheap Leather Strip knock-offs. This is an album brimming with potential club hits for the camouflage crowd, so check it out if you’re an EBM fan and don’t be surprised when these tracks invade your local dance floor.

Visit the band online at www.agonoize.com.