Agora
Empire
Crusader Records
Release Date : June 9, 2023
Playing Time : 51:28
Agora hail from Mexico and were founded in 1996. Four studio albums, one acoustic and one live album have been released so far (source: Encyclopaedia Metallum). In more or less long intervals. In addition, there are various singles. In the time of their existence they have been on stage with many well-known bands (among others Judas Priest, Deep Pruple, Iron Maiden). In June, their latest work “Empire” was released.
The opener “Empire” is also the first single from the album of the same name. The song begins with a par force ride of riffs and powerful drums. But later it becomes melodic. “I’m Just Venom” is a bit calmer and very rhythmic. Again and again guitar solos are interspersed. A reminiscence of the Rock of the 80s. In “In The Name Of Destruction”, the drums again provide a high beat count. The short instrumental interlude “190318” follows. Here you hear a quiet acoustic guitar play before the riff-driven “Colossus” takes off again. The epic chorus is the highlight of this song. In “Honor In Dying”, hard riffs dominate again, paired with catchy choruses and a grandiose guitar solo. This powerful midtempo song is one of the highlights of the album. Besides the short interlude, there is also a real ballad to be heard with “Immortal Dream”. “Infinity” also starts ballad-like at first. Later, however, the Mexicans switch to the rocky midtempo range. After a anthemic beginning, “When Honor Ends” changes to high-speed, mainly thanks to the sometimes hectic guitars and the driving drumming. The final song “Virtual Reality” is an eight-and-a-half-minute progressive epic monster.
Agora were announced as a Progressive Metal band. Fortunately, there are no abrupt changes of melody and rhythm. And there is also no prog-typical frigging to be heard. The Mexicans put a lot of emphasis on melodies and mix them with a lot of epic and hard metal riffs. That makes this work very worth listening to and should go down well with many Metal fans of different tastes. Sophisticated songwriting meets excellent musicians. And the vocal performance of Eduardo Contreras is outstanding.
Agora – Empire: https://youtu.be/icdle0FEP3c
Lineup:
Eduardo Carrillo – Drums
Manuel Vázquez – Guitars
Sergio Aguilar – Guitars, Vocals (backing)
Eduardo Contreras – Vocals
Daniel Villarreal – Bass
Track list:
- Empire
- I’m Just Venom
- In The Name Of Dest
- 190318
- Colossus
- Honor In Dying
- Immortal Dream
- Infinity
- When Honor Ends
- Virtual Reality
Rating :
Album : 9/10
Cover-Art : 8/10
Songwriting :9/10
