Customer Reviews

Ugly

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album never grows old or tired. Where River Runs Red was like a panther that had sprung from it's cage to maul you unmercifully, Ugly was the other panther that knew when to wait and gauge it's prey before going in for the kill. In short, they're both effective and brutal, but of the two, Ugly is the more measured and thoughtful album. And I LOVE RRR, so don't get me wrong.
Every time I listen to Ugly, I'm struck by how vulnerable and raw Keith's voice sounds. It's his voice that really marks LOA as a band above their peers. No grunts, screams or squeals for this band! Just honest, bold emotion.
Anyone who lumps LOA in with the grunge set misses the point. Listening to Keith sing on songs like "Let's Pretend" , "How It Would Be" and "Unstable" draws me into the song every time. Another reviewer referred to his vocals as being[..]. Ignorance immediately sprung to my mind in regard to this review. Allow me to heartily recommend Propagandhi's "Refusing To Be A Man" or "Less Talk, More Rock" from their "Less Talk..." CD to help you with such innadequacy issues. And yes, that's sarcasm in case you didn't notice.
[...]
It gets me how Jonathan Davis of Korn "broke down and cried" about being molested as a kid on "Daddy" from their debut and how many people thought he was so sincere and brave - and it turned out he was singing about someone who lived DOWN THE STREET! And then Keith writes/sings about real issues that he LIVED THROUGH and he's called a [..] and a grunge clone. I guess it's a sad indication of how easily led and fed today's MTV coddled audience is (For proof, check out another Propagandhi track, "Back To The Motor League" from "Todays Empire, Tomorrows Ashes").
Oh, well, you either "get it" or you don't.
For those of you out there who love great vocals and thoughtful lyrics and want to be moved by an album, then, please, buy this album and the follow-up, Soul Searching Sun. You'll discover that which the loyal throng of LOA fans have known all along.
Prepare to be blessed!

The Second Album from LOA is a little softer, but it seems to have the same feeling as the fist. I think that LOA was one of the best band out there ever. Buy this album, you won't regret it.

Powerful drums, heavy bass and rocking guitars - very good, but nothing really extraordinary. But then there is this voice. Fragile and purely emotional, Keith Caputo sings like probably nobody else in the world does. He takes LOA's music to another level. The contrast between the heavy instrumentation and Keith's voice creates little jewels of the genre, a clever person once called "Emocore". Especially tracks like "Other Síde Of The River" or "Let's Pretend" express a depth of feelings most other bands just read of.

Life of agony is one of the best bands I have heard. Kieth's vocals are awesome and Joey's guitars rock hard. If you like LOA, you will probably like Staind, which is like LOA because of the melodic vocals and crushing guitars.

this is the defining work of this great post-hardcore band. from keith caputo's emotional vocals, which make alan's heartfelt lyrics all that much more moving, to joey z's grinding guitars and sal's creative drumwork, this album is one of my top 5 EVER. Highlights include "Other Side of the River", "Lets Pretend" and the title track. Although Life of Agony may have officially broken up, this album will live on forever, and be sure to check out Keith's solo album, coming out sometime early 2000.

I have been listening to LOA since "River Runs Red". These guys have a very distinctive style of music. This is one of their best efforts, a little more polished than "River", but I still can't decide which of the three albums is my favorite, They're all awesome. It's to bad Kieth left the band, I don't think it will be the same without his vocals, maybe he'll come back sometime.

This album is great. I never heard a band be so melodic and heavy at the same time. This album should go down in history as one of the best metal albums of all time. It is a shame Keith left the band. I hope Keith and LOA both have great success in the future.

Life of Agony's "Ugly" is withut a doubt the band's best work. The 1995 release is not quite hardcore, not quite metal, as it is very unique release with a softer sound than it's predecessor "River Runs Red". Keith Caputo's vocals are one of a kind as he blends both melody and torment into his voice. The CD features one of their best known songs "I Regret", as well as "Lost in the River". "Let's Pretend" is an emotional masterpiece with Keith singing about his mother. "Ugly" is capped off by a cover of the 80s tune "Don't You Forget About Me". This CD won't just appeal to fans of metal/hardcore, but it will also be enjoyed by music fans in general.

This is the first album I heard from this band and I still think there is so much power behind what these guys were saying. Just listen to the lyrics to "Lost at 22" "Ugly" or "Damned if I Do" and you'll remember at least once in your life when you've said the same things to yourself. RRR, Ugly and SSS are great albums and you can see how the band morphed in their styles. Any fan saying they sold out obviously refuses acknowledging the concept of evolving musically. Ugly is so moody and deliscious that it's a "must get" for metal fans.

Sweet album. Hard sound with an erie vocal line. I don't think This is as good as River Runs Red, but it is still an excellent 5 stars.