Customer Reviews

Get Damned

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Everyone seems to be disappointed in this album. While not as great as their debut, in my opinion it far surpasses "The Darkest Red".

There's no singing in any songs but the last one, and for me this is a plus, seeing as Michael's singing voice came out whiney at times. And I really like the singing in "Old Scratch" to be honest. I guess I can see why others find this CD repetitive, but for me it's not so much that I still can't enjoy the songs.

His screaming is as shredding as ever, and there's just something so brutally catchy about this album that hasn't been on any of their others. "Barnburner" and "Rattle Me Bones" are the only songs that I really can't seem to get into.

But as a whole, this is a great release.

I can't say much for the entire CD, seeing as how I'm currently listening to it, but Predation is the same chords, over and over again. I don't play any instruments or understand tablature at all and I do believe i could play the entire second song by ear. Dances with the Devils doesn't get much better. Oh wait...whats this? A breakdown....unfortunately it's as disappointing as the rest of the CD. Adversary is the same exact thing, sounds the same as the first 3 songs. Deliverance is alright, but it is dwarfed by the other crappy songs. The Darkest Red was amazing...I can't understand what happened. They left Roadrunner and signed with Century Media. Yes, it seems that the Ags have indeed been Damned...their musical skills have been damned down the toilet. If this had been their first album, i might not have even bothered researching this band any further. It's really quite sad.

There are no similarities between this uninspired disaster and The Agony Scene's previous two discs...I haven't written a review in a while, so it is with great disappointment that I find myself focussing on the negative aspects of what could've and should've been a great release. GET DAMNED is a bland album that really has no standout tracks...I needed to force myself to find a silver lining in this repetitive jumble of three and a half minute sleepers. Gone is the awesome production of THE DARKEST RED...gone are the great melodic vocals (with the exception of the last track) and instrumental harmonies that gave TDR it's bite. I'd be willing to say that the worst track on TDR is better than the best track on GD.
A handful of once promising acts have really laid some stinkers in the past year or so...This is a transition time in the heavy music scene where you need to put up or shut up...Talented acts continue to thrive, while other bands (clinging with desperation to keep their heads above water) are fading into obscurity. I give you It Dies Today, Still Remains, and now THE AGONY SCENE... I really feel bad for these guys...this album will more than likely be the last we hear of THE AGONY SCENE...think I'm wrong? Only time (and lack of sales and new fan base) will tell. If you are a longtime fan (like I am) check them out when they come to your area...it may be the last opportunity you get!

...Don't buy into the "the new Agony Scene album sucks" hype.

Just as with the Darkest Red when everyone was complaining that it sounded nothing like the self-titled, Get Damned is still recognizable Agony Scene, and it isn't as bad as everyone is saying it is. I'd say that Get Damned sounds a LOT more like the self-titled that TDR, which is probably because they didn't have Roadrunner on their backs making them do clean vocals on the choruses to up sales.

Standout tracks for me include "White Nights" and "Adversary"...as well as a few here and there. Clean vocals only appear once, and it's on the last track, "Old Scratch". If you're a fan of their work on TDR, don't expect these clean vox to be of the intense, dynamic nature like on "Prey" or "My Darkest Desire"; the clean vocals are terribly boring and contribute almost nothing to the song. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that "Old Scratch" is my least favorite song on Get Damned just because it slows down SO much for the bland, unimpressive clean vox.

Still, the rest of the songs ooze aggression. Michael Williams sounds as enraged as ever, and Chris' guitar is MUCH better on this album than on previous efforts. The riffs he churned out for Get Damned by far outdo anything that was on the previous two, with the exceptions maybe being a few songs on the debut like "Habeas Corpus".

If there is one earlier song I could compare to this album, it would be "Judas" from the self-titled. That's basically what almost every single song on Get Damned sounds like: Aggressive riff, fast drums, harsh vocals. Unfortunately, that really IS what EVERY song on this album sounds like. The Agony Scene have not really been known to try new things, but the repetitive songwriting gets old on this one.

Overall, an average album. The songs suffer without Brent on the drums, and since only two original members remain it's difficult for The Agony Scene to retain their sound completely; nevertheless, they seem to have no problem writing the same song twelve+ times over and making it into their next album.

Just don't expect anything new.

Not as good as their last 1, but if you own that disc, you should still buy this 1. More of the same screamo-heavy fast paced double bass raw in your face agony scene.

If your looking to buy this because your a fan of the first two, you'll be very dissapointed. It's not really metalcore anymore. Its more thrash then anything. Alot of the songs sound alike, or like bad versions of old songs.
The new drummer does basically the same thing throughout the entire album. i feel like some of the songs could have been good if he mixed it up a little instead of being so repetative. Even the guitars are really simple. Nearly every song is devoid of any kind of break downs or melodys. And the few songs that are good sound more like As i lay dying songs then agony scene. i havent been this dissapointed since A7X came out with City of Evil. I urge you ALL to listen to the samples before you buy. your better off just buying the 2 decent song mp3's

so i heard this cd first, before i heard the debut or darkest red. it is good heavy fast aggressive moshpit music. exactly the type of noise i live on. i don't get how anybody can believe that the previous two cd's had more to offer. he's shed the faggy singing cut away everyhing soft and left something metal hard and jagged. this guys wet ragged growl makes for an incredible set of vocals. too bad it's too late to get in their pit today.

I dont understand the negative reviews on this album. It smokes from start to finish. Great production,the songs flow well, and the vocals are sinister brutal. This is their best work yet!

I had not heard of The Agony Scene until recently when I heard "Adversary" and I was blown away by the song. Hard hitting, solid guitar work and vocals that really do express the song well. I purchased the album and was not let down at all.

From the opening riff of "Barnburner" the album grips you and does not let go. The song writing does follow a little bit of the same formula throuhgout the album, but makes enough changes to still keep it interesting. In reading some of the other reviews making mention of the absent clean vocals, I personally cannot see clean vocals fitting on any of the songs minus the final song.

The stronger songs on the album would have to be "Adversary", "Barnburner", "Rapture" & "Rattle Me Bones" with the weaker songs being "Predation" and "The Opposition", however these two are still good listens. If this album is the weaker of their three, then the two previous to this must be flawless.

Overall, a satisfying listen all the way through. This album delivers strong melody and harmony in the guitars, something many potentially-great metal albums lack these days. The drums thunder away, but are rhythmically in control. Strong vocals. Much better than The Darkest Red, in my opinion. Only a couple songs border on the edge of mediocrity.

Preview Rapture. If you don't like that one, this album isn't for you.