Agent Steel
Skeptics Apocalypse

1985. The metal scene in California is in full swing. Five aliens from an unknown planet land in Los Angeles and decide to form a Heavy Metal band. They grow lush long manes on their heads, steal instruments from various music stores in the city, choose the moniker Agent Steel for the occasion, and release one of the most significant albums of the global Speed/Thrash scene: "Skeptics Apocalypse".

To fully understand the uniqueness of our steel agents' project, we must first emphasize the figure of its undisputed charismatic leader and founder, John Cyriis: a singer endowed with an immeasurable voice, capable of reaching extremely high notes (practically ultrasounds) and much closer to a transcendent dimension rather than an earthly one. To give an idea of what I'm saying, just think that, in that year, John managed, in a survey among enthusiasts, to stay behind people like Geoff Tate and Bruce Dickinson, ranking fourth in a hypothetical chart, trailing only the sacred monsters such as Dio, Belladonna, and Araya. Such was the consideration and media impact that his inhuman screams represented. Take the melodic taste of Iron Maiden, combine it with the power of Judas Priest, add an abundant dose of dynamism, and the recipe is ready: eight tracks (plus an intro) that are very homogeneous and ferocious, achieving magnificently their intended purpose by creating a sonic tsunami made of a few but unforgettable riffs and a generally overwhelming and torrential guitar work. There is no intention on the part of guitarists Juan Garcia and Kurt Colfelt to temper the action radius or follow alternative paths that do not necessarily lead to just one word: speed. There is no room for digressions of any kind, and even the rhythmic contingent formed by George Robb (bass) and Chuck Profus (drums) must adhere to the directives imposed, sometimes bordering on human possibilities (and confirming the aforementioned concept of alienation).

Just the first song of the platter, the manifesto "Agents Of Steel", would make you understand what I'm enthusiastically raving about, thanks to the riff that is as simple as it is legendary on which Cyriis' monumental high notes in the chorus are laid; mind you, the rest is no less impressive: I refer in particular to the junonic storm brought by "Taken By Force" or the evil frenzy of "144,000 Alone", the gripping intensity of "Guilty As Charged" or the overwhelming duo "Evil Eyes-Evil Minds" and "Bleed For The Godz", two tracks whose combined obsessive power could reduce a mountain chain to a wisp of smoke. Undoubtedly, we are not faced with a perfect album in terms of production, which appears quite debatable in its excessive, crude roughness (personally, I find it very functional to the proposal and the period); however, every alleged flaw that can be aesthetically found is swept away by the musical substance that "Skeptics Apocalypse" flaunts, its brazen compactness and consistency, its being (along with its successor "Unstoppable Force") a timeless classic; the most effective means to break your vertebrae with headbanging.