Order of the Illuminati

A lot of words could be used to describe both Agent Steel's sound and their entire essence as a band, none of them really capturing the full picture of what they are about, but one word that would probably never be employed is "safe". Then again, when looking at the circumstances of this band's return after about a decade in the abyss due to the turbulent climate of the late 1980s, safe is a word that could describe how they decided to go about their return. For better and not so much for worst, Omega Conspiracy was not that far of a cry from where the band left things on Unstoppable Force, save for a slightly more thrashing riff and vocal approach out of the then newly recruited Bruce Hall compared to the more Crimson Glory meets Fates Warning sound of the aforementioned album. Safer still is how Order Of The Illuminati all but mirrors the approach of its predecessor, though relative to the general climate of metal at the time, which was still a couple years away from a full out thrash revival, it was still in a very different class than what was going on at the time.

Execution wise, this album is about as powerful as this band's 1999 return to the scene, differing only in that the songs tend to be a bit longer and more elaborate and the vocals maybe a tad less gravity defying. They definitely clean house in the production department, offering up a set of generally fast paced cruisers with a measured degree of crispness and bit, in stark contrast to the horrid nightmare of a production job that graced Metallica's 2003 flop that need not be named, and similarly bucks the popularity trend of outfits like Skinlab and Machine Head which were just coming away from the proverbial nadir of nu-metal. All of the obligatory treats are offered up without a hint of shame, including soaring guitar solos, lofty harmonies, screeching vocals after the mold of James Rivera and early Geoff Tate, high octane thrashing from a competent rhythm section and an epic approach to songwriting that actually leans towards being progressive. That's actually the one respect in which this album puts a tiny bit of distance between itself and Omega Conspiracy, as most of the songs on here, and particularly in the cases of "Ten Fists Of Nations" and "Human Bullet", go a bit longer and explore a bit more territory.

Being all of this as it may, it is important to note that despite a few interesting stylistic developments on the fringes, this is still an album where Agent Steel sticks to their bread and butter. The rabid beast of an opener "Avenger" features plenty of vocal gymnastics courtesy of Bruce Hall, who doesn't quite shatter glass the way John Cyriis did in the 80s but gets plenty close, not to mention a healthy dose of fast paced thrashing goodness. Similar fits of speedy goodness with maybe a slightly less flamboyant vocal display are enjoyed on "Enslaved" and "Forever Black", each one cutting heads and wrecking necks with about the same level of intensity as any straight up thrash metal outfit. Even on the more creepy and esoteric sounding numbers like that of "Kontrol" (an excursion into conspiracy theory via mind control) where the melodic material is a bit more pronounced, there is a consistent air of punchy heaviness that's a bit more aggressive, though still quite familiar in relation to past territory explored by this outfit. Hard hitting thrash elements aside, the only place where this band actually goes off the reservation is the mid-eastern infused semi-ballad "Insurrection", which is nevertheless a powerful number and showcases Bruce Halls greater capability as a standard clean singer.

Barring maybe the fact that this album comes off as slightly more stylistically nuanced and is a bit harder to follow than Omega Conspiracy, this is about as equally as powerful of a listen. With the exception of the sad note that this band would leave things a few years later with Alienigma, largely by jettisoning their winning formula of a middle ground between speed, power and thrash metal in favor of a modernized take on the latter of the three, this is a band that has successfully walked a tightrope between consistency and evolution with little in the way of slip-ups. No small feat when considering all of the line up changes and inner turbulence that dogged this band after first making a highly respectable splash in the mid 80s. It's a foregone conclusion that if one has liked anything that this band has done prior to 2003 that this will be well received, but even for those who have not yet discovered this band but have an affinity for either power or thrash metal, this is as good of a place to start as any, if not a better one for those that are looking for a cleaner and more up-to-date production. Take to the airwaves friends, a diabolical conspiracy is afoot.

This album is a bit hard to rate. Because on one hand, you have its purely (or should I say, obvious) musical virtues. These aren't bad, but not really outstanding; the guitar riffing and soloing is good, but kinda non-descript (barring a few flashes of excellence), and the drumming is a bit bone-headed and stupid-sounding (oh yeah and the bass player throws in a few interesting fills but they are few and pretty far between, plus the production is well-done). The instrumentalists just do what's expected of them in a modern metal group, but not much else. The actual songs wouldn't be all that interesting without the vocals. I mean, if you just want to be instantly impressed by crazy solos and riffs and such, maybe you should just go listen to some Symphony X or Children of Bodom or something.

If you're anything like me however, long after you've gotten bored by those two bands and their ilk you will still be coming back to this album. Because this album has soul, sincerity and purpose, these three all being provided by vocalist Bruce Hall (Bruce Dickinson and Agent Mulder rolled into one). This guy seriously believes in the crazy conspiracy stuff he's singing about, and comes across as incredibly convincing (and positively moving on some songs, I mean it's like he's totally lamenting the death of the space god or whatever). Just about ninety percent of my enjoyment of this album stems from his incredibly intense vocal performance and intriguing lyrics. It just so out there, and actually dangerous-sounding; I mean, when was the last time you heard something truly bold and/or challenging in power or thrash metal? These are his honest views on things (mostly the state of world politics and human history I guess), draped in just enough metal fiction to enhance the drama, far from the bloated, moronic comic-book fantasy of most contemporary Power Metal colleagues, or the forced anger of aging thrashers. For this I commend him.

Now, I feel Hall wasn't all that successful in this approach on Omega Conspiracy; on that album he would occasionally start warbling off-key in a kinda grating fashion (Awaken The Swarm, aaargh), plus there are no silly lyrics about The Matrix and shape-shifting space lizards (haha) anymore. But if that album was slightly dreamy and solemn at times, mainly due to the production and vocal arrangements, this one is all down-to-earth radical brawler.

Ok, on to the descriptions of the songs (by the way, the first six songs of the album form a thematic suite with some sort of story line glueing everything together; the second half of the album feels kind of like a collection of bonus tracks by comparison).

The opener here, Avenger, is just as great a display (perhaps even greater) of Agent Steels unique brand of raging as Mad Locust Rising; it is also one of the most fascinating thrashers (speedsters?) I have ever heard. After the ominous, ripping guitar intro, Bruce Hall steps in with an incredibly blitzkrieging and untrivial (what's up with those zany "AAAH"s?) vocal melody in the verses soon to be complemented by the harsh bark of the pre-chorus and the high-pitched squeal of the chorus. Following the repeat of that, we get an angry bridge, some ok guitar solos and then this, the last verse...

"Your coming foretold and we saw the signs
And still we failed to recognize
Begged your solutions to damage your plan
Deserving no mercy deserving your lies
Lord of the slaughter - who's sworn to you?
Oh, chosen one - lead us to our doom"

...sung in an absolutely breathtaking venomous fashion, and when it's followed by that primal "NOW IS YOUR TIME - Violator" chant, whoa! Timeless, highly addictive classic, even though it may not initially strike you as one.

The second track, Ten Fists of Nations, doesn't disappoint either - it locks in with Avenger to form one of the greatest opening salvoes of any metal album ever (one that also kind of resembles the one utilized by Master of Puppets - that is, hilariously violent rager followed by towering epic). In this particular number, they go more for tension-building and atmospherics, and come out highly successful.

The first half of the song is kind of like a brooding mid-tempo march, with some interesting subtle lyrics (although I'm not sure the term 'subtle' applies to an album as volatile as this). Sure, the guitar duel in the middle drags a little, but when it's over and the dust has settled, a wonderfully ethereal acoustic interlude rises from the ashes - perfectly matching the 'twilight' feel of the album cover. Then the bass starts plonking a bit in the background and Bruce enters with some moody singing, telling the tale of the avenger gathering the leaders of the world and enslaving them (I guess?). As the narrative reaches its climax, the intensity of the musical backdrop increases to give way to a fantastic guitar solo - the best one on the album. Sure, this kind of interlude isn't exactly a new idea, per se, but here it's done so well (and adapted to fit into the Agent Steel context) that I can't really say the end result is any worse than for example it's Master of Puppets counterpart.

Anyway, the next four songs aren't bad but don't really approach the greatness of the first two (I will be brief in their description, seeing as how there is better stuff waiting further ahead). Earth Under Lucifer is a mid-tempo rumbler with ample room for some fine guitar interplay and a pleasant chorus (it was also chosen as a "single" of sorts). Following that we have Enslaved, a typical AS rager, and Insurrection, another stab at multi-part epic songwriting, with a menacing buildup towards the "defiant" final two verses (and a furious solo section to boot). Unfortunately, the last song of the "concept" happens to be one of the more forgettable on the record; Apocalypse (World Without Windows) just doesn't stick in the same way as its more successful kin. If it's supposed to be all climatic and epic, I just don't feel it.

Good thing we have another manic scorcher coming up, then. The way Forever Black swoops down, like a bird of prey, in its intro and starts riffing up a storm - sure, it's kinda generic, but its also very enjoyable! Of course, when Hall enters with his trademark frenzied singing in the verses, things are anything but generic, seeing as how this bizarre form of speed metal is really only practiced by Agent Steel. Oh yes, and simultaneously kick-ass and mystifying lyrical blurbs abound - my favorites are "a tribute to time traveling Horus" and "Men meshed with metal - USS ELDRIDGE". Great song!

Now, Dance Of St. Vitus, Dead Eyes and Kontrol - these kind of cause the "bonus tracks tacked on at the end" feel of the second side. Except for the cool intro riff and intriguing lyrics of Eyes, and the samples at the beginning of the latter, I don't remember much anything from them. Dance Of St. Vitus is a bass solo, I guess, which basically amounts to wasted space in this case. I mean, I don't turn to nowadays Agent Steel for basic generic metal noodling (unless that noodling is the sweet Schenker worship of The Day At Guyana, and its not), I turn to them for supremely venomous Hall rants.

And boy, do I get my fix of that in the last track, Human Bullet!!! Because it's a cool mid-paced two-part would-be epic with some more of those gut-wrenching vocals.

Now, you might ask, what sets this album aside from the other modern day metal acts? Well, the thing is, there are such incredible amounts of enormously talented bands today, you have your Blind Guardians and your Dream Theaters for instance, that Agent Steel can't hope to match in pure musical prowess, and as such might seem a bit, I dunno, petty and irrelevant in comparison to such juggernauts of competence (IE counting the amounts of riffs, debating the skill of instrumentalists).

But what those bands are doing strikes me as essentially very competent takes on ideas and formulas established by their predecessors; awesome craftsmanship, and often entertaining as hell, but a bit soulless and dull. Agent Steel, on the other hand, is actually advancing metal and not on a merely technical and obvious level; this ain't some 16-year old guitar shredders lame attempt at parodying Power Metal by self-consciously reveling in clichés or some other stupid, backwards genre. I mean, just listen to Avenger, you can get it from the official webpage - that song gets my vote for most powerful metal statement of the last ten years or so, in that it's an incredibly effective vocal-driven speed metal, that is, a thrasher with personality, and I can listen to it again and again without getting bored with it because it's so angry and soulful and violent (ok, so that's a pretty crappy way of describing it).

Now, this might seem like another one of those overly enthusiastic "every song on the album is AWESOME!!!" reviews which seem to plague a lot of sorta-obscure "conventional" metal these days, but really the minor songs are just kinda there, be it as pleasant background music or filler or whatever, while the real winners are total classics! And that's not too common on todays way too consistent albums eh? Anyway I think you should get this album!

What happens when the behemoths of the old, have all lost their feeling, and can't write good thrash anymore? What happens when Testament, Nevermore, Annihilator, Metallica, Megadeth, Kreator, Sodom, Exodus, Dark Angel, all fail to deliver anything good? Off course, you turn to the only band that has never failed to impress, and has always driven thrash to new uncharted waters: The mention off course goes to the gods called Agent Steel.

First thing you will notice is that the new vocals are simply amazing; there is nothing holding this back now. The sound is remniscent of earlier works, but topped with a strange infusion with Annihilator, Nevermore and... Queensryche, but as you can expect, it feels more than fresh: It's burning with life.

This album finds the band at their prime, with their song-writing skills reaching new limits, their song-playing skills looking better than ever, and their lyrics simply delivering a killer substitute to epics written by the likes of Queensryche during Operation: Mindcrime or Nevermore in The Politics Of Ecstacy. There is really nothing to pinpoint as a problem here, except for the one thing; which is the reason I deducted some points from a score that would have otherwise been in the high nineties: Repetition.

While the album itself is fresh, and has some KILLER tracks that simply are amazing including Ten Fists Of Nations, Forever Black and Human Bullet, there are also many indifferent songs that are far too long for what they have to give: It just seems that the same result could have been pulled off with about 3 songs less. I believe that if your material is 6 songs long, you should never write a 7th one just for the sake of things.

So am I complaining that I got more tracks than I paid for? No, this is not it. I am complatining that what could have been THE thrash album of recent times, was stained by a few average songs that if they were avoided they could keep the overal bar in the standards the better songs have raised.

But all in all, enough with the complaints. Let's end this with the illuminating truth: Order Of The Illuminati is not only one of the best comebacks in the history of metal, but will also be remembered as the definite thrash metal release after the draught in the nineties! It came some more years than we hoped for, but at least we have it...

*Drools in ending solo of Forever Black, non-stop headbang, hair hitting face, chest, even the ceiling... you get the picture!*

Some of us are still reeling from the inexcusable production (or is that non-production?) on the latest Metallica album. If the Metallica of 1985 could have heard the 2003 version of themselves, do you think they would’ve embraced it? I’m sure as night turns to day that Cliff Burton would have slit his wrists in absolute disgust. The latest Nevermore disc also suffers from a disappointing production. Just what the hell is going on punters?

Maybe they need to go back and check out the old school pioneers like Agent Steel. For all of those bands that boast about heaviness and brutality, take a listen to ‘Order of the Illuminati’ – this album has one of the best METAL productions I’ve heard this year. It is a prime example of a band who has been around for 20 years sticking to their roots whilst also effortlessly infusing a modern approach to their sound.

The sound on ‘OOTI’ is simply immense. Produced and mixed by guitarist Bernie Versailles, the resulting sound simply puts many bigger so-called metal acts to shame. Nevermore may blame a lack of finance in hindering who they wanted for their production, but I’ll bet my house that Agent Steel had a hell of a lot less again. So what’s the difference? The answer is in being able to find someone who actually has some fucking idea about METAL production (Kelly Grey hasn’t!). Agent Steel come from the old school and are self-confessed ‘masters of metal’ – they know the classic sound and have made sure that their music is recorded with the standard metal tuning. THERE IS NOT ONE NOTE OF DE-TUNING ON THIS ALBUM. And that my friend is the bottom fucking line. It is classic thrash/speed meets current day power metal – melodic and harmonious with a serious kick ass metal attitude. Agent Steel have obviously wanted to produce a world-class metal album and as Juan Garcia has stated they approached everything from the execution of the performances all the way to the mastering with absolute surgical precision. And it sounds as relevant as fuck!! At least in my world it does.

I’ve always been an Agent Steel fan – I worship their early material from the 80’s, in particular the awesome ‘Unstoppable Force’. Since returning from oblivion in 1999, with "Omega Conspiracy" (with Bruce Hall replacing lunatic space cadet vocalist Jon Cyriis), the Agent Steel name has steadily gained new respect. That respect should double in quick time as "Order Of The Illuminati" continues in the same style as ‘OC’ but with a major step up in song writing and the aforementioned production qualities.

‘Order of the Illuminati’ boasts a powerful set of tracks. Each as strong as the other - The musicianship is truly shredding, from the massive Garcia/Versailles guitar riffs, the meticulously layered solos and a killer percussive section led by new sticksman Rigo Amezcua. Of course, it’s the vocals of Bruce Hall that some might have trouble dealing with. Bruce Hall is a truly astonishing vocalist – he takes many of his cues from former front man Jon Cyriis, yet has employed a style and phrasing all his own. Hall’s voice exists only in the ‘window shattering’ stratosphere – high pitched and then some. Power Metal fans will take a particular shine to his style, yet Hall avoids all of the over-wrought, melodramatic gymnastics associated with such vocalist. However, if your vocal diet consists of Halford/Dickinson/Tate then Bruce Hall will floor you.

The Agent Steel of 2003 still sound like the Agent Steel of 20 years ago – and unlike that other big named act who think that sticking to such methods is too restricting or too ‘old-school’, Agent Steel have been able to evolve their sound and produce something that still sounds quite contemporary. And it absolutely KILLS!! Fuck big named producers, fuck de-tuning. You want traditional metal with a world-class sound – this is how it’s done!! You know it makes sense.

Ahhhh, finally a band that delivers a noble attempt at rejuvenating the old school sound that once flourished in the bay area. Make no mistake people...this is pure adrenalized Thrash Metal with a capital "T". Agent Steel deliver the goods better than most of the bands who are still active in the thrash genre. Musically, this album is a killer, and often reminds me of Dark Angel's "Time Does Not Heal", only with much better production and a vocalist with far more range and ability than Reinhart. Juan Garcia's guitar playing on this album is Lightyears ahead of what he was doing with Abattoir, or even Evildead for that matter. This is a focused and intelligent album with all the trimmings required to make it an instant thrash metal classic. Anyone who was turned off by the bands first couple releases should be aware of the fact that this album really sounds nothing like their earlier efforts and should really give Agent Steel another listen. From the opening track "Avenger" with the Halford meets Dickinson vocal style on the chorus, right up until the pulse pounding finale of Human Bullet, this album is nothing short of brilliant.
Agent Steel are a force to be reckoned with and its time this band was finally recognized as true Thrash Metal Titans...these guys are the real deal!

While a very tiny step back from their previous work (Omega Conspiracy), this album is still quite fucking excellent. That one may be a once-in-a-lifetime deal - a combination of years of pent-up songwriting rages, and the fresh energy of a new vocalist that reduced band turmoil and added dynamics. Here, Bruce Hall and the band show that they are still in top form, putting together a classic blend of atmospheric power-metal stuff and of course the speed-metal warfare that they are known for.

We start with some of this speed metal - Rise from your knees, avenger!! The secret ingredient is ... HUGE GUNS!!!! One of several songs on here that are just plain blazing rockers... Earth Under Lucifer and Forever Black also follow a similar formula, and all are effective. This is the type of thing that Agent Steel has been doing - and doing quite well - since 1985. They've cleaned up the sound a bit, both as far as production goes and also the coherence of the fast riffs. Here, it's more power-thrash, as opposed to the all-out reverberating single-note jet-engine speed metal of the debut. The vocals are just as soaring as before, though Hall does not take up permanent resident in the high notes. His vocals are pretty similar to the previous album - the slightly Tim-Owens-like menacing midrange, and the obscenely cool shrieks. Speaking of Owens, and bands he has been in... "the streets run with blood, from the mass mutilation!" This HAS TO BE a tribute to the Stained Class LP (Saints in Hell, more specifically) because the lyrics are so similar, and the vocal placement is just about identical, including repeating the word in the same position (abattoir, abattoir...). Very well done.

Then, the rest of the songs tend to diverge a bit from the basic fast-as-fuck recipe, by throwing in some very well executed melodic moments. Overall, each song works just as well as the previous album, but the few points down reflect the fact that Omega Conspiracy came together oh-so-well as an album, while this one does so only averagely well. Maybe it's the song order, or the balance of lighter and heavier passages - that one is a masterpiece, and they can be forgiven for only coming close. Of these epic numbers, probably Human Bullet and Ten Fists of Nations are the best. Ten Fists is the longest song on here, and pretty much starts off as a power-metal rocker, before turning just a bit more melodic before and during the chorus, and then going into a little acoustic outro. Who knew Agent Steel had this in them - when they experimented this in the 1980s with songs like Still Searching, it just fell flat. Here, it works perfect - maybe it's because Bruce Hall can sound like more than just a banshee. I can't imagine Cyriis shrieking his way through a song like this. Nothing against Cyriis, as he is one of my favourite vocalists (probably because on my good days I sound EXACTLY like him!), but Bruce Hall can do so much more, without sounding either painfully limited or Matthew-Barlow-cheesy-ah.

Human Bullet starts off with a little intro, with a sampled vocal section over some keyboards (I think). One of the VERY FEW keyboard intros that is just fucking spectacular - a great atmosphere, combined with the lyrical message... "tiny beings, from a tiny planet called Earth...", and then a midranged almost thrashy number that has that ubiquitous vocal line most famous in Nuclear Assault's Something Wicked, and then a very melodic final verse. What it's similar to, I just cannot pinpoint - I think it's Aerosmith's "Kings and Queens", but don't quote me on that. This is an excellent closing piece, with one final extra-long solo to wrap things up.

As for the rest... they're just about all highlights, without a single weak moment to be found here. Even the samples of Kontrol move the song along, and Insurrection, the most balladic number, works well after the rager Enslaved and before the slightly more brooding Apocalypse. The album has its own Dawn Patrol (Dance of Saint Vitus), but it's only a minute and a half long, and oddly enough is pretty good.

Overall... well, if you liked the last album, you'll probably like this one. Productionwise, it sounds just about the same. Same vocals, similar guitar tone, and the songwriting is not that far off. This band gets a huge FUCK YEAH for reforming and continuing to kick maximal ass.

Well, I loved their previous album, "Omega Conspiracy." When I got OFTI back in July, since then I have been playing it for about...130 times! It's just one fuckin' amazing album. Starts off with a guitar solo on ''Avenger'', and after that, you get this excellent epic, "Ten Fists of Nations", I don't see any Maiden-resemblance anywhere on this song, so some say there is. The ''bassy'' ''Earth Under Lucifer'' with a great chorus. The fast and aggressive, ''Enslaved''. ''Insurrection'' has a middle-eastern vibe to it, the song goes slow and when the 3:30 mark hits, all hell breaks loose! Next up is ''Apocalypse'', this song is just awesome. The riff and the vocals and the lyrics, wow. What a kick-ass verse! ''Forever Black'', based on the Philadelphia Experiment, it's another fast song. Just a great classic tune. Karlos Medina demonstrates the ''Dance of St. Vitus'' on the next track. ''Dead Eyes'' is a thrashy song. Very good. ''Kontrol'', hehe, the intro is taken from the tv show ''The Outer Limits'', a great instrumental. ''Human Bullet'' begins with a nice atmospheric-type of intro and then BOOM! *humming*...lol. It's more metal but less heavy. And the Japanese bonus track, ''Brainwashed''...oh man, I fell in love with this song. The riff and that little solo that goes along with that is just plain awesome. All solos on this song truly kick serious ass. Well, the point is that this whole album is filled with amazing guitar work and excellent solos. I haven't heard something this great since, ''Balls to the Wall''. The vocals are great, the drums are phenomenal. Half of the album is a concept based on the secretive group, the Illuminati. Nice lyrics. Just an amazing fuckin' album. A big 100!
*THE TRUTH IS NOT OUT THERE.........IT'S ON THIS ALBUM.''