Life of Agony
Ugly

THE REVIEW

Writing reviews is no longer my forte, and some time ago, I admitted that I didn't want to participate in this "game" anymore.

But everyone changes: Pippo Baudo, years ago, collaborated with Mediaset after years of loyalty to RAI (where have I read this before?) and Claudia Koll, yes, she, has calmly transitioned from the arms of Tinto Brass to those of Our Lord.

Seeing only one review dedicated to Life of Agony, I HAD to get to work.

Here, duplicates are written but, a sad reality, we forget too quickly about bands that have given their soul and energy in the past years. Whether it be the '80s or the '90s.

So, here we are, talking about "Ugly" by New York's Life of Agony.

The second chapter for the band of Keith/Mina Caputo (you read that right, the singer changed gender) and an album totally different from the unattainable "Rivers Runs Red".

From the monolithic blocks of hardcore mixed with Sabbathian doom, a true delight to my ears, our heroes veered, within two years, towards a peculiar and certainly more graceful sound. The year was 1995.

Some Iommi-style riffs are still present, sure, but threading through these twelve tracks is a grayish grunge haze. Alice In Chains and Stone Temple Pilots, in fact, will flash through your mind more than once during the listen of the fantastic "Ugly" (cover and title are stunning).

To all this, however, you must add an intimate and emotional vein, lyrics centered on the singer's life and many childhood memories.

An emo-grunge album with some metallic openings. An album not to be underestimated.

Many, back then as now, criticized the band's shift. Mistake! Our heroes didn't change their stripes to jump on the bandwagon of winners; indeed, the word "winners" terribly clashes when placed beside the name of the unfortunate Life of Agony.

A voluntary and spontaneous change, as I was saying, and a clear departure from the hardcore-metal paths, those paths that introduced us to the New York quartet in the early '90s.

I highlight the melancholic opening of "Seasons", but also heavy-weight songs like "I Regret", "Lost In 22", and the title track. The grim "Don't You (Forget About Me)" closes the dance, a track that seems to have come out of the hat of a less metallic Type O Negative. Moreover, reading the booklet, you'll discover that Sal Abruscato was the drummer common to both bands.

What else can be added? After “Ugly”, the quartet could never again replicate their great achievement: combining metal (and hardcore) with "intimate” themes and sounds.

The third “Soul Searching Sun”, Year of Our Lord 1997, proved to be too pale and devoid of ideas.

A band to rediscover and love. Especially for the first two gems of their skimpy official discography.

PS: Wanna bet that good old De…Marga… has seen them live too?