Review by Rexorcist for Fleshgod Apocalypse - Agony (2011)

After hearing the first two releases of Fleshgod Apocalypse, I was getting slightly tired of the technical side of their early music because it wasn't very unique.  I was looking forward to the symphonic sound of Agony, which apparently redefinied their music for their future releases thus far.  And when the opener, "Temptation" and its follower, "Hypocrisy," made a point of keeping the symphonic vibe strong, I was pleased for a little while.  Symphonic death metal certainly has an edge.  However, without the technical ide of the early music, all that can be really said is that the album is heavy and it has a few decent rhythms.  Otherwise, it's a pretty samey album relying on a single gimmick, and soon the symphonic edge gets a little tiring.  It's still heavy and moody enough to be enjoyed by the average death metal fan, but with only one trick up its sleeve it gets a bit overdrawn.