UMUR "Ugly" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US, New York based hardcore/alternative rock/metal act Life of Agony. The album was released through Roadrunner Records in October 1995. It´s the successor to "River Runs Red" from 1993 and although the two albums feature the same lineup, they feature a vastly different sound.

Although the band´s hardcore roots rear their ugly head a few rare times during the playing time, "Ugly" is an alternative metal album rather than a hardcore ditto. Desperation, bleak melancholy, and frustrations are still the emotions the band convey through their music. Lead vocalist Keith Caputo (now Mina Caputo) generally sings a bit more restrained and varied on "Ugly" compared to his predominantly full-on belting on "River Runs Red (1993)" and the instrumental part of the music is also a bit more varied. It´s still relatively heavy and dark music, but not necessarily in a heavy metal fashion all the time. I´d even label some tracks hard rock rather than heavy metal.

The material on the 12 track (the limited edition features two bonus tracks), 53:07 minutes long album are relatively varied and all tracks are catchy and memorable (some more than others). Tracks like "I Regret", "Fears", and "Damned If I Do" are in the heavy end of the spectrum, while tracks like "Other Side of the River", "How It Would Be", and "Unstable" show a more melodic and sensitive side of the band. The inclusion of a cover of "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds works really well for the band too. So while they don´t effortlessly make the transition from hardcore act to alternative rock/metal act, they predominantly succeed in their mission. They may have alienated a few fans in the process, but probably gained just as many with this new musical direction.

"Ugly" features a dark and heavy sounding production. It´s not quite as sharp as the sound production on the predecessor, but it suits the material well. So upon conclusion "Ugly" is a good quality sophomore album release by Life of Agony. It´s quite bold changing your sound as drastically as the band do here this early in their career, but it´s obvious they felt a need to progress and do something different. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "River Runs Red" is the debut full-length studio album by US, New York based hardcore/alternative rock/metal act Life of Agony. The album was released through Roadrunner Records in October 1993. Life of Agony was formed in 1989 by lead vocalist Keith Caputo (now Mina Caputo), bassist Alan Robert, and guitarist Joey Z.. The band played with several drummers before former Type O Negative drummer Sal Abruscato joined shortly before recording "River Runs Red". The Type O Negative connection is further strengthened by the fact that Josh Silver (keyboard player/producer in Type O Negative) is credited as producer on "River Runs Red".

But while there are some sound production similarities between Josh Silver´s work on the early Type O Negative releases and the sound on "River Runs Red", Life of Agony is ultimately a very different sounding act to their fellow New Yorkers.

"River Runs Red" is a concept release telling the story of a young man who has been abandoned by his farther (who has started a new life with a new wife as told in the opening track "This Time"). The young man lives with his verbally abuse mother (her screaming is heard on a couple of interlude tracks on the album), and his life is generally on the way down the drain. We experience that he is fired, dumped by his girlfriend, and told that he is failing classes in school. Already early on in the story the listener is made aware that the young man is suicidal, and the story ends with him slashing his wrists with a razor in his bathtub (hence the title of the album), and his mother screaming when she finds him dead.

Stylistically the music is heavy and groove laden New York hardcore, and in that respect nothing out of the ordinary...at least when it comes to the instrumental part of the music. Keith Caputo´s voice and emotional vocal delivery are what make "River Runs Red" stand out from other New York hardcore releases. Caputo successfully manage to convincingly convey the sadness and despair of the lyrics. Self-loathing, depression, insecurity, and social issues all combined on this heavy and powerful album.

The material on the 13 track, 50:28 minutes long album are generally well written, catchy, and memorable, although some tracks stand out more than others. Highlights include "This Time", the title track, "Through and Through", and "Words and Music" (the ultra heavy mid-section, where Caputo sings about his friend´s funeral is just bleak, bleak, bleak). About mid-way through the album the quality drops a bit and to my ears the album is frontloaded with the standout tracks, but when that is said the tracks on the latter part of the album aren´t bad quality tracks by any means ("Bad Seed" is for example pretty great, and the chorus to "Method of Groove" is absolutely killer, although the rap vocals on the verses may scare off some people), and "River Runs Red" is overall an album with a good flow and enough variation between tracks to keep the listener entertained throughout. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Broken Valley" is the 4th full-length studio album by US alternative rock/metal act Life of Agony. The album was released through Epic Records in May 2005. It´s the band´s first album release since "Soul Searching Sun (1997)". Life of Agony split-up in 1999 after both drummer Sal Abruscato and lead vocalist Keith Caputo had left the band in the previous years (Abruscato already left in 1996), but reunited in 2002 in their original lineup (Completed by guitarist Joey Z. and bassist Alan Roberts).

Compared to "Soul Searching Sun (1997)" which featured a predominantly more laidback and sedated rock style, "Broken Valley" is generally more upbeat and fresh sounding. The break seems to have rejuvenated the band, and their performances sound inspired, and the songwriting more catchy and hard rocking, then the case was on the generally uninspired sounding predecessor. A slightly more hard rocking Stone Temple Pilots isn´t the worst comparison in the world. There´s of course not a trace of the ultra depressive hardcore sound of "River Runs Red (1993)" left in the music, and the music on "Broken Valley" generally don´t sound much like "Ugly (1995)" either, it´s actually the fourth consecutive album release featuring a new musical direction, but which somehow still sounds unmistakably like Life of Agony.

The material on the 12 track, 43:39 minutes long album are generally well written and hook laden vers/chorus structured hard rock songs, featuring lyrics predominantly dealing with personal issues. The quality of the material is pretty high throughout, but there are of course some tracks which stand out a bit more than others. Some of the highlights include "Love to Let You Down", "Last Cigarette", and "Strung Out". The album features a warm and powerful sounding production, and as always the musicianship is strong and the playing organic. Keith Caputo isn´t as distinct sounding as he was on the first couple of releases by the band, but his performance here is still strong and he has a suiting semi-raw delivery.

"Broken Valley" is not a hard rock revelation or anything like that, but it´s a solid release by Life of Agony and definitely a step up from the rather tedious and unremarkable "Soul Searching Sun (1997)". It´s not always comeback albums end up being an artistic (or a commercial) success, but I´ll say "Broken Valley" pretty much fits that description and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved. It´s not necessarily an album which will blow you away upon initial listen, but it grows given more spins and some of the melody lines just won´t leave your head again...

pointandclick Easily the worst LOA album. In terms of lyricism, it has far more substance than the terrible post-grunge music that was rampant during 2005, but at times the vocals and instrumentation are clearly mimicking it. I can only assume this was due to the creative influence of their new record label Epic, aka the most mainstream, cookie-cutter record label in existence. The real disappointing aspect though is that nothing about this album is aggressive at all. The riffs and vocals are just too restrained for my liking. Most of the ballad type songs are pretty boring too, with maybe one or two exceptions.

Originally written for www.rateyourmusic.com

Kingcrimsonprog River Runs Red is the cult-classic debut full-length studio album by the underrated, unique New York band Life Of Agony. It was produced by Josh Silver and released in 1993 through Roadrunner Records.

The album is a concept album which tells the story of a confused and disillusioned young man with low self-worth and a poor support network, who ultimately decides to commit suicide. Its pretty grim, dark, weighty stuff. The story really sucks you in, and you find yourself hoping its not going to end in tragedy.

Musically, this album is a pretty interesting hybrid. There’s touches of Thrash Metal, Doom Metal, NY Hardcore and a big Type-O Negative influence at the same time. At times its almost sort of like Sick Of It All doing a St Vitus cover song, with Pete Steele on vocals. Not really, but that’s a ballpark idea of what to expect.

The whole thing is chocked full of pummeling double-kicks and gang vocals, big fat dirty riffs, inventive drumming, really unique and interesting vocal performances and bucketloads of catchy hooks.

Album highlights include the speedy Title Track, the absolutely crushing opener “This Time” and the bitter introspective “Bad Seed.” If you wonder whether the album is for you or not, check out those three! That said, the whole album is rock solid, consistent from start to finish, and there’s no messing with tracks like “These Eyes” or “Method Of Groove” either. The only thing you’ll find yourself skipping are the three additional atmospheric tracks (each named after a day of the week) that provide the story but aren’t songs. Awesome for when you sit down and listen to it as a story, but missable if you just want to be bludgeoned by heavy music.

Overall; this album is an absolute monster. Relentlessly catchy, full of crushing riffs, a dynamic mix of speed and slow, powerful vocals and an interesting story. It’s a pretty unique record that no other band sounds like (and the band themselves would never repeat stylistically) and as long as you aren’t upset that it doesn’t fit neatly into one confined box, this album just gives and gives. It’s a grower, and the more spins you put in, the more magic you get back. In short – highly recommended.