As The World Dies awakes with its first album.
Composed of Jay Price (vocals), Ash Cotterill (guitar/vocals, Pemphigoid), Bill Richmond (bass, Pemphigoid), Chris McGrath (drums, ex-Ashen Crown) and Scott Fairfax (guitar, Memoriam, Massacre), the english band unveils Agonist.
The musicians are joined by Karl Willetts (Bolt Thrower, Memoriam), David Ingram (Benediction, Hellfrost And Fire…) and Kam Lee (Massacre ex-Death…) on some songs.
With Annulment, the band opens its album into a weighing ambience and hooking Noise influences, which perfectly match the Death Metal basis which will strike on Desolate, a straightforward and extremely effective track. Riffs focus on raging violence, welcoming raw howlings and more airy leads, just like on Dawn of Terror and its apocalyptic ambience. Solid riffs are melted to dissonant influences, but also to very dark parts which keep Death Metal’s straight energy, while Red Dawn offers us very heady leads which free a weighing and haunting rhythmic. The seizing basis slowly moves forward, offering a dissonant but epic ambience, just like on The Tempest, a more aggressive track. The atmosphere, supported by a powerful rhythmic section, stays also very pessimistic, as on Day Of Reckoning and its modern tones on the introduction. The rhythm part is extremely hooking while unveiling Old School influences as well as massive howlings. Expect milder parts, but also more violent ones, allowing the gloomy Save The Earth a total freedom of speech. Aggressive Death Metal meets more burdening and dissonant parts, which will be crushed by Until You’ve Bleed and its aggressive riffs. The song is definitely catchy, slow and weighing while offering a haunting violence which unveils Sludge influences, then Thin Out The Herd offers a brief respite before continuing with a hooking groove. Rage melts to killer harmonics, then to a more modern violence before we come to As The World Dies, the last composition. The eponymous track offers very weighing Old School leads, which drop us over a crushing and effective rhythmic to close the album into violence and rage.
With Agonist, As The World Dies displays a very pessimistic and dissonant sight of their universe. This album is also effective and haunting, melting Old School tones, a raw but modern mix and very effective influences to permanently crush us.
95/100