CoC : Am I Blood - Agitation : Review

Am I Blood - _Agitation_
(Nuclear Blast, 1998)
by: Paul Schwarz (6 out of 10)

This album attempts to combine the more aggressive thrashings of Metallica (and at points their penchant for acoustic interludes) and mid-paced riffing in a style similar to Sentenced's with the kinds of catchy, and often melodic, choruses which have brought both of the aforementioned a great deal of success. As with many of the bands I have reviewed in these "pages" (and many I have not), however, they do not, in doing so, create music which is in any way outstanding. The most diverse and impressive display of what talents Am I Blood have is unfortunately showcased in the album's first track "Negative". This is unfortunate because it inevitably leads to an album the next 40 minutes of which are disappointing. "Negative" itself is not a "classic", but it is good and indicates that Am I Blood have the potential to produce substantially more consistent works than _Agitation_. Me, I am not into their style as a whole. It doesn't have Metallica's (_Master of Puppets_ era) vicious-yet-crafted thrash songwriting or Sentenced's perfect blend of melodic catchiness and rock 'n' roll. It doesn't have what I want, it's as simple as that.

(article published 1/9/1998)