Those amongst us who have existed, experienced and / or been part of the world of Metal for any extended length of time, particularly the Black Metal spectrum, have to know of the band CHRIST AGONY. Whether you own a few of their releases or have just heard of their name in conversation, because let’s face it, that name in those early days of yore evoked a reaction. A response of “Oh! This is something edgy, bad!” Together with other such extreme monikers like ROTTING CHRIST and IMPALED NAZARENE, just to name but a few, I would almost hesitate to say that is what drew us to the bands. Just by the shock factor alone. The music was almost secondary, but when imagery and sound did come together in that glorious harmony, well, it was so much better, and life just clicked, you know? Now, for a band that has existed since 1990 and has included members from bands such as VADER, WITCHMASTER and EMBRIONIAL, you know you have to sit up and take notice. Especially if you call yourself a true Metalhead in any sense of the word. If not, turn in your denim jacket and spiked belt and go listen to ED SHEERAN instead (Ooopss!, sorry Dani). Now, I was not quite a hardcore fan, but I respected and enjoyed much of their earlier library. I was mainly drawn to them because they have a similar vibe to early SAMAEL. Needless to say, I was a tad surprised upon hearing of some new output coming from their camp and hence, when called upon to voice my opinion on such a band and with said history behind them, well, surprise became trepidation. You definitely want to respect the history, but you also want to be honest. Because let’s face it, there have been more than a few clunkers when bands try to live off or recapture the glory days. I can name a few of those, but there have also been some good ones. Write to me, let’s talk. So without further ado, you will be happy to hear that for the most part, the music with the sole remaining member, Czar, has maintained a consistency of sound that harkens to the past but also does not look to be wildly different in any sense of the word. Either he knows his audience or genuinely does not care what you or I think and seeks to be true to himself above all. You would even be forgiven for thinking that this could have been released in the prime era (for some) of the late nineties. Much of the material has the same dynamic and pacing of the songwriting from that period, and it most certainly pays respect to the material of say “Moonlight – Act III” or maybe even “Darkside”. Everything is well done, the production is on point and even the cover art seems to pay homage to some of the earlier cover illustrations from the past. I won’t go into too much detail and let you delve into the heart of this release and let you make your own assessment. For all the young ones, it wouldn’t hurt you to look into the past and see what has made your present possible (well, maybe in part at least). You can find further information here: www.facebook.com/christagony, www.facebook.com/deformeathing