You’d say that progressive metal started as a mode of rebellion and confrontation. It was also founded on a musical style that focused on a lot of noise. Well, picture this, the multicolored metal rock band AGBAT, based out of the small western Norwegian fjord town of Øystese gives you a dose of both with their latest astonishing 11-track album themed “Darkest Parts”. This daring music stops you in your tracks every time and demonstrates the band’s limitless versatility and creativity, reflecting their radical authenticity in songwriting and unrestrained passion for music that hits close to home.
As I was saying, “Darkest Parts” really lives up to its cataclysmic title; the album is brimming with dissonant, jarring, and ferocious tracks as AGBAT barrel through the explosive metal rock that does not shy away from a social-political message as well as touching on mental health, addiction, love, heartbreak, and relationships, as well as hope and hopelessness…everything you’d think of within the realms of modern world insanity, it’s probably here!
The tracks here evoke both hardcore vitriol and pop-punk sensibilities, all the while being led by the absolute force that is the frontmen Sondre Skar Selsvik and Christopher Erik Knight. Their dynamic presence commands the stage (and sometimes the floor), relentlessly working the listener with impassioned vocals and nonstop action.
Setting an immediate tone with thunderous drum lines and plenty of crashing guitars, “Darkest Parts” breaks down into a dark spiral of hard rock anthems, echoing visceral ‘90s sounds and aesthetics that conjure up comparisons to legendary bands like The Stooges, Nirvana, and Guns N’ Roses. Wielding a brash, passionate sound that hits hard and drags you under in an instant, this album bridges the gap between stark human moments and predatory, undomesticated energy, offering a unique perspective that only AGBAT can deliver!
This is such a powerful anthemic rock album with a howling and menacingly raw presence; if you like your metal rock blaring and brash, then some AGBAT is what you need!
And did I mention that the tracks, “Find Out”, “Hopeless”, “Silver Spoon”, “Defined,” and “P.T.S.D.” really did tickle my fantasies on more than one occasion…if I didn’t, then I just did!
With that said, it is such an honor to recommend to you this authentically tapped masterpiece that has been achieved with near-flawless execution by one of the bands that I believe is well on its way to achieving superstardom!
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