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END THE AGONY
7"
It is easy to be cynical these days, with so many bands just playing the fucking part, wearing the clothes, writing the words, playing the songs as they are "supposed to" - to ensure they fit in neatly in whatever subgenre they have lumped themselves into - but to me these guys are, for lack of better words, the real deal. Bleak yet passionate harsh hardcore sludge - cathartic dirge punk filled with genuine anger, despair and anguish. Wave upon wave of crushing doom and desperation by some of the most sincere punks I have ever met and people who by now I consider my friends. Free from any of the trendy soulless bullshit that is rife in the "scene" these days. This is the kind of band that makes me glad I am still involved and why this sorry excuse for a "record label" called opiate still exists.
The End The Agony 7" was released in cooperation with Superfi and Tadpole records, two labels I'd encourage everyone to check out. Not only do both have a string of great releases under their belt - they're also done by good people who actually give a shit.
Have a listen to End The Agony here: www.myspace.com/endtheagony
Reviews
"Brighton's End the Agony commit their nihilistic broken worldview to their first slab of vinyl. As a three piece they were one of the best bands I've seen in the past couple of years, channelling the scuzzy filth of NOOTHGRUSH via the agonised despair of DYSTOPIA and the distilled hatred of CROSSED OUT's slow parts. Recorded in their early days as a 2 piece, this lacks none of their later power, and they throttle every tortured note out as if it pains both them and you to do so. With punk rock currently reinforcing the dams against a deluge of wannabes and generic 'poserviolence', End The Agony are the real deal. Highly recommended. - Collective Zine""Slow, pained, pummeling heaviness. I can't exactly place the sound. It's not doom, metal, or hardcore. END THE AGONY has elements of doom, but it's more of a dirge - think along the lines of BUZZOV-EN with a tiny bit of DYSTOPIA and CORRUPTED. I can't believe this is a duo. - MRR 304"
"5 songs by END THE AGONY. Bleak slow sludge hardcore - doom, anger & despair - think Noothgrush vs Corrupted. Split release between Super-Fi, Tadpole, and Opiate Records. Screenprinted covers. - Play It Faster"
"There are some bands that just floor you with the pure intensity of their music, and for me, End the Agony are one of these bands. The music is a form of slow, almost dirgey hardcore with quite heavy guitars and intense, shouting vocals. The band consists of a guitarist/vocalist and a drummer/vocalist (they have, since releasing this 7", recruited a bassist also). Considering they have such a minimal line up they manage to create a very passionate and intense sound, in fact, perhaps it is because of this small line up the record feels so passionate, as we are able to simply see the raw emotion of the music and the musicians themselves. The hand drawn artwork and hand written lyric sheet help to add to this personal feel also. I think a lot of hardcore can often feel quite contrived, mostly due to the spate of tough guy hardcore, and rubbish metalcore currently on display, which all feels a little watered down, but End the Agony are in a whole different league, this is just pure intense, heavy music. I think the band chose a very appropriate name for themselves also, as there is a real sense of pain and anguish in this music, especially in the vocals. However, this is not presented in any kind of dramatic sense; instead we are simply shown raw emotion here. In closing, this 7" is a real gem, and I can not recommend this enough to anyone into passionate, raw, intense music. - Rendition zine"
"Great band from the UK. There must be something good on that island. This is incredibly intense live. On record they capture that quite good. Especialy side B is an absolute winner. This for fans of heavier slasher work like Nooothgrush and Dystopia with hints of a band like Neil Perry. Awesome stuff. - Graanrepubliek"