South Africa isn't known for having long-standing metal bands. Johannesburg-based AGRO have been going for almost twenty years now, which is an inspiring feat. Rewriting History is a collection of material taken from six albums, plus two cover songs. There is also a very interesting DVD on the history of AGRO.
Power of the Brave, the second track, is one of my favourite tracks on the album - a great beginning! The song has a mood of rising above adversity, and the chorus - to borrow a term from Angry Metal Guy - is an earworm of note (as I write, Power of the Brave has been stuck in my head for three days now). My ears were further treated to a great guitar solo and drum break.
AGRO have a sound that stands out - the track Eyes is one of many pieces of evidence of this. There's a jazzy break in the song, which keeps things interesting. The song flows back into thrasher mode well. Eyes, as well as What is Wrong, are politically-themed. Both tracks are from the album Eyes, released 1997, and contain lyrics that reflect a South Africa that was just starting to recover from a regime built on racial prejudice and censorship.
The tracks Taken by Misery, Away from Fear and Chalk Outline have a more melodic feel. Away from Fear has an intro with a strong keyboard presence, and is another of my album highlights. The keyboards and violins get a spotlight during At Liberty, and the guitar that joins in with them manages to meld effectively with the symphonic elements. Keyboards and violins can be potentially gimmicky in metal, but AGRO avoids this in their sound, resulting in an aurally pleasing blending of styles.
The last two tracks, See You and Empty Tankard, are covers of songs by Depeche Mode and Tankard respectively. After ten strong previous tracks, I found these covers a bit weak. Empty Tankard has a fun atmosphere though.
The History of AGRO DVD was a fascinating documentary of AGRO's career so far. There was commentary by the band members, other bands, fans and other metal-related folk, gig footage and music video footage (M-Net used to play metal videos!). I laughed at the tales of drunken shenanigans - guitarist Shane Pennicott's drinking sound effect got me every time. The footage at the end of the video is... interesting. I won't spoil the surprise... I think it's important for we young metalheads to know the history of the metal subculture in our own country, so kudos to AGRO for contributing to metal education.
Power of the Brave, the second track, is one of my favourite tracks on the album - a great beginning! The song has a mood of rising above adversity, and the chorus - to borrow a term from Angry Metal Guy - is an earworm of note (as I write, Power of the Brave has been stuck in my head for three days now). My ears were further treated to a great guitar solo and drum break.
AGRO have a sound that stands out - the track Eyes is one of many pieces of evidence of this. There's a jazzy break in the song, which keeps things interesting. The song flows back into thrasher mode well. Eyes, as well as What is Wrong, are politically-themed. Both tracks are from the album Eyes, released 1997, and contain lyrics that reflect a South Africa that was just starting to recover from a regime built on racial prejudice and censorship.
The tracks Taken by Misery, Away from Fear and Chalk Outline have a more melodic feel. Away from Fear has an intro with a strong keyboard presence, and is another of my album highlights. The keyboards and violins get a spotlight during At Liberty, and the guitar that joins in with them manages to meld effectively with the symphonic elements. Keyboards and violins can be potentially gimmicky in metal, but AGRO avoids this in their sound, resulting in an aurally pleasing blending of styles.
The last two tracks, See You and Empty Tankard, are covers of songs by Depeche Mode and Tankard respectively. After ten strong previous tracks, I found these covers a bit weak. Empty Tankard has a fun atmosphere though.
The History of AGRO DVD was a fascinating documentary of AGRO's career so far. There was commentary by the band members, other bands, fans and other metal-related folk, gig footage and music video footage (M-Net used to play metal videos!). I laughed at the tales of drunken shenanigans - guitarist Shane Pennicott's drinking sound effect got me every time. The footage at the end of the video is... interesting. I won't spoil the surprise... I think it's important for we young metalheads to know the history of the metal subculture in our own country, so kudos to AGRO for contributing to metal education.
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