‘90s, oh those days, when alternative rock was at its peak with lot of great songs. Life Of Agony might not have been one of the huge names but they marked the scene with many of their singles getting noticed (no only through videos but also on the decks of the rock bars of that era) but the departure of Keith Caputo caused the break up of the band. Now, two decades later (leaving aside the weak “Broken Valley” of 2005), most people were more into non-music related themes about the band, eg the gender reassignment of Keith (from now on Mina Caputo).
Two years ago, “A Place Where There’s No More Pain” was the album that brought the New York band back to life and this time the new album will take the band on a new world tour. But is it worth it to listen to “The Sound of Scars”? The album makes a great first impression, mainly due to the great production and the overall feeling that brings back memories from the golden years. The performance of the musicians is great but it’s the vocals of Mina that makes the difference and seems to feel more comfortable than ever. The lyrics follow the classic “River Runs Red” (so we are actually having a sequel here) with most part focusing on psychological traumas and the struggle to survive through them, the message leaves some light to get through though (we carry our scars but we don’t have to be victims of that pain).
The first singles of the album (“Scars” / “Lay Down”) are proper and it’s no secret that those were the tracks that brought me close to the band again. A grunge/alternative 90s rock sound swipes through all the compositions although they are not all on top level (B side seems a bit weaker). It’s worth mentioning that the new drummer Veronica Bellino adds the necessary drive but in general the album is a bit heavier and raw than the previous one balancing nicely between punk and metal.
