CD review, Aug 09. Agoraphobic Nosebleed – Agorapocalypse (Relapse)

This one, and no mistake, is a keeper. I’d already heard this on the band’s Myspace page pre-release and it just plain blew me away. I’ve been raving about it ever since. This is gonzo grindcore done with panache and a vile bile that few manage without sounding like either mush, or worse, a joke. Agorapocalypse is possibly the finest 29 minutes of tightly controlled insanity since Reign In Blood. It’s that good. While there are blistering blasts, the tracks aren’t always full-on in pace, it’s the intense riffing and utterly cacophonic vocal howls and growls that give this album its bite. Step forward Salome’s Katherine Katz with the most impressive screaming fury since Satan knows who. Spine tingling. ANb use plenty of grind chugging at a slower pace to increase the groove factor and add that dark and darker texture that makes this album flow so well. I can’t pick a standout track, it’s just an entire experience. As a bonus the artwork on the multi-page CD insert is beautiful and incredible in its design. I utterly recommend this to everyone, to these ears, after numerous plays, it is a modern day classic.