Freax

I remember the first time I heard Life of Agony’s debut disc. It knocked me on my ass, leaving me with a feeling that was difficult to explain to anyone else. So it shouldn’t much surprise me that the new project involving Agony’s vocalist Keith Caputo is equally difficult to describe. This independent project, the life and blood of Brazilian drummer Lou Ferreira, is a defiant experimental industrial metal pop fusion. "Pale” screams of left field influences like Talking Heads (with the extreme distortion) while "Human Comedy” could easily be a sampled pop classic complete with warped orchestration. The disc is appealing for its unabashed lack of structure and direction. The spotlight is completely on Caputo’s funk filled moans, but synth and mix whiz Travis Cook really holds this record together. He uses unexpected and long forgotten sounds to keep the songs intriguing. Without him, the rest of the band would buckle under the pressure these tracks create. "Every Kind of Thing for You” adds a touch of Brazil with acoustic guitar and percussion, yet there is no distinct world music feeling. I really enjoyed listening to the disc, for several reasons, but more so for the risks it takes as opposed to its brilliance and skill.