This is the third album by Norwegian mathcore band Agabas.
How could you not see a band described in the promo blurb as a “brutal heavy deathjazz metal/mathcore quintet” and not want to check them out? Although, I note in the band pics there’s six people, so no idea what that’s about. Regardless, Hard Anger is a 36-minute melting pot of ideas and influences, so strap in tight and get ready for mayhem.
Agabas are a hard band to apply a simple descriptor too, although a mix of progressive metal and mathcore is probably the closest. Sort of. In effect, Agabas take elements of metal, hardcore, mathcore, death metal, and jazz, and smash them all together into a mass of teeth, claws, and luxurious silk.
As a rough idea of where Agabas are coming from, imagine different parts of the following bands thrown together with wild, (but skilled), abandon – The Armed, Army of Flying Robots, Association Area, Atomsmasher, The Callous Daoboys, Candiria, Death Goals, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Endon, Imperial Triumphant, Igorrr, Kvelertak, Meshuggah, Morality Crisis, The Murder of Rosa Luxemburg, and more. Make of this what you will. All of these bands came to mind when listening to Hard Anger‘s onslaught, either indirectly or directly.
The songs on Hard Anger are harsh and hostile, with aggressive screams and growls, saxophone that’s wielded like a weapon, hardcore riffs, death metal muscle, lethal blast beats, and a thoroughly belligerent attitude. The music is both brutal and intricate, combining frenzied intensity with artisanal precision. It’s mathcore chaos given life by means of metallic weight and violent jazz.
Both abrasive and calming, Agabas merge intensity and grace, using both where they will to produce their art. On the one hand you have sheer walls of brutality, while on the other comes introspection and relaxing soundscapes. Taken together, Hard Anger delivers a multifaceted treat for the listener to explore.
While this could so easily be a noisy mess, it’s actually far more coherent and well-written than you’d likely expect. The songs harness their twitchy energy well, and careful use of dynamics and structuring allow them to have power, rather than just force. Agabas know how to craft a good song, it seems.
What an album. Riotous good fun. It’s infectious. It’s moreish. It’s addictive. It’s destructive. It’s Hard Anger.
Wonderbox Metal 