“The Sound of Scars” is Life of Agony’s 6th studio album and is a concept record continuing the story of the band’s debut “River Runs Red”. In fact, the albums’ release dates are nearly identical, only 26 years apart”
Those words are the very first paragraph of the supporting document the record company sent to accompany this release.
Regular readers – and bizarrely I do have some – will know that I look at these things and turn into a bit of a simpleton, some recreation, if you will, of Beavis and Butthead (for my money still the greatest reviewers of music ever). That is to say, I glaze over and go “yeah, but is it cool or does it suck….?”
That all being said, “The Sound Of Scars” lends itself to that just a little more, given that “River Runs Red” was a concept record itself. More importantly, as far as I am concerned, “….Red” was one of the most important records I’d ever heard at that point.
It is up there with Warrior Soul’s “Drugs, God And The New Republic” in the list of albums I consider more seminal than Nirvana’s early 90s stuff, and specifically – because I am dealing with LOA here – I am not sure it ever got the credit it deserved.
LOA’s “comeback” record “A Place Where There’s No More Pain” cemented their legacy, but this, well this is on another planet.
The genius – and that is not too strong a word here – of what they’ve done is do subtle nods to the previous record (the Dispatch call to emergency services, the dripping sound which start the album carry on directly from the past) but it is entirely possible to be a kid in 2019, hearing LOA for the first time and just to think you are listening to one of the finest hard rock records this year.
They’ve got a way of doing things, a classic sound, that hasn’t altered much. “Scars” shows it. The chunky, thick riff screams early 90s (Stone Temple Pilots fans will find much to love here) but the lyrics – as ever penned, mostly by bass player Alan Robert – are so raw, so stark that you just get swept up in it.
“Scars, are what we are” sings Mina Caputo here and her voice is perfect for the music, “Black Heart” takes a real skill too, because to make this stuff catchy, and kinda singalong is staggering, but with LOA, they’ve always understood hooks and choruses, “everything is gone and stripped away, say its over, I need some closure” shouldn’t make for a fists in the air moment, yet it does here.
Everywhere you look here, there’s a slab of class. “Lay Down” is arguably the best of the lot, and if they’ve ramped up that early 90s sound then its only to fit the feel of the original record. When the chorus hits here, you know its special.
A mark of “….Scars” is that it is a relatively short record. A record that even with its narrative parts, does its business with no excess fat. “Empty Hole” takes you direct to a maelstrom of emotion, but is still a slamming piece of rock n roll, likewise “My Way Out” is fast and furious, a feeling topped off by “Eliminate” being almost a punk rumble. Robert excels on his bass here and guitarist Joey Z is at the top of his game throughout.
There is a loud/quiet dynamic about “Once Below”, which in parts is the heaviest thing here as well as the gentlest. “Stone” on the other hand has an opening riff that could crush.
“Weight Of The World” is an interesting piece, its guitar unsettles, it shouldn’t work. It does, and of the “story” bits, the emotional “When” is the best, as the therapist urges the patient to let go of the past.
Whether he can – whether any of us can, without getting too deep, or whether we are all made of scars? – is a question that goes through the mind on the more epic closing “Surrender”, six minutes of near balladry that draws the curtain down on a wonderful record, and the repeated refrain of “there’s no faith and there’s no truth” leaves you wondering if they – or the character here – will ever find peace.
When “River Runs Red” came out Rolling Stone Magazine called it “one of the greatest metal records of all time” and their opinion probably carries more importance than mine, so I’ll just say they were right. I’ll just add that “The Sound Of Scars” is a fitting sequel.
Rating 9/10
