Review: Testimony of Apocalypse – Agony in the Garden
Testimony of Apocalypse
Agony in the Garden
(Roxx Records)
When Paul of Testimony of Apocalypse first reached out for a review, I let him know that I was a big fan of Sacrament. While he appreciated the sentiment, he was very quick to let me know that TOA was “nothing like Sacrament.” And he couldn’t have been more accurate. In fact, the only things the two bands have in common musically are the fact that both bands are/were heavy and both are/were top quality. The similarities end there.
Moreover, the music on Agony is incredibly hard to peg. Some of the Heaven’s Metal staff members were discussing how to classify it into a genre, and we found it really difficult, not even fully agreeing on where it lands. There are elements of death metal, melodic death metal, progressive metal, thrash, and some other bits and pieces as well.
The band’s membership has shifted since their last offering. The core of the band has always been drummer Paul Graham and guitarist Nick Pacitti (who also offers keyboards). Mike Torone (who was also in Sacrament with drummer Paul Graham) offered his signature growl on the band’s debut, but their sophomore album featured a range of vocalists. This time around Derek Corzine (currently of Burial Extraction, formerly of Blood Thirsty, Syringe, etc.) has taken over on vocal duties and bass guitar. And Corzine’s multi-faceted approach has helped catapult the band to new levels of creativity. Additionally, significant contributions come from Cameron Nealey (lead guitar on 9 of the 10 tracks) and Ryan Roebuck (Motivik, Vultures Gathering) offering lead guitar on “Cross the River.”
Agony in the Garden, the band’s third release, is a concept album focused on the night Jesus spends in the Garden of Gethsemane as He prays and awaits the inevitable trial and crucifixion that comes the following day. And yet, true to scriptural parallels found in the New Testament, the story of Jesus overlaps with our own story—that is, the life of the believer. Take “Surrender” for instance, which doubles as a reference to Jesus surrendering his will to his Father and also to the believer who surrenders his/her own will to Christ:
Of course I fail
I fall short
Putting faith in myself
Again, a slave
I am a slave to believing
I’m unworthy of God’s love
My flesh is in constant battle
The battle with the Spirit
Holy Spirit
Consume me and my heart
Guide me
And let me live in faith
That is my desire
This song is my favorite so far, with the semi-melodic screaming on the chorus, reminding me ever-so-slightly of early Sentenced vocalist Taneli Jarva—but only on this song! Elsewhere Corzine growls, grunts, and remarkably also sings quite soulfully, drawing mild comparisons to Extol’s Peter Espevoll (or even Ole Borud for that matter).
But Agony is far from a one-man show. Other highlights include guest guitarist Cameron Nealey’s satisfyingly dissonant leads on “Born Not of Blood” which offset the down-tuned crunch of Nick Pacitti’s rhythmic riffs. This track might come the closest to conventional death metal on the whole album. But even here we have some proggy moments enhanced by Corzine’s melodic singing on the chorus. Ryan Roebuck’s solo on “Cross the River” is playfully reminiscent of classic thrash and heavy metal styles with some nice clean leads. Graham’s drumming is solid as ever—never flashy but darned dependable.
The doomy “To Say Farewell” offers a slower, darker tune that fits the lyrical prayer of sanctification:
Separate myself from my desires
Look to Christ revealing truth within
Put to death what is earthly in me
Step into a renewed life
To say farewell
To say farewell
The deep melodic crooning on the track draws comparison to eastern European sounding gothic/doom metal.
The diversity on Agony is mostly its strength, but for some fans it could also be its weakness. If you are looking for a straight-forward death metal release, you probably won’t like this. Heck, even if you’re looking for standard melodic death metal or even prog metal, you may not like this, as there are just too many unpredictable elements for fans who want to get locked into a genre and stay there. However, if you are open to your extreme metal genres mixing and matching—growling here and singing there, crushing riffs interspersed with melodic leads—twisting and turning frequently, never settling into convention, then you might just happen to love this. This is one of the better extreme metal releases I’ve heard this year. And while they don’t sound anything like them particularly, fans of Extol’s genre-bending melodic-meets-extreme tendencies might have just found a new favorite band.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Links for ordering:
Agony In The Garden | Testimony of Apocalypse
TESTIMONY OF APOCALYPSE – Agony In The Garden (CD) 2025 FFO: Sacrament – Roxx Records
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