There’s a better chance you run into the business end of an alien rectal probe. In truth No Other Godz Before Me is a hot mess, but that doesn’t mean it lacks entertainment value. If nothing else you get to hear Mr. Cyriis once again wailing and caterwauling over the top of urgent, Painkiller-esque speed metal. The original blueprint from the classic days is dusted off and only slightly modernized, then off they go to rifle through Hangar 18 like it’s 1988 and Alf is still America’s favorite E.T. After an expectedly bizarre intro, Martian Chronicler Supreme Cyriis reclaims his crown on “Crypts of Galactic Damnation” and his once unstoppable voice is…different. After 30-something years away from music, he’s still recognizable and can still hit shockingly high notes, but he sometimes sounds like a cartoon character. One writer’s young daughter thought it was Elmo singing, and Tickle Me Agent Steel isn’t too far from the heavily redacted truth. Weird and wonky as he sounds, his vocals still work due to some righteously exuberant riffing and high level band support giving his performance a big push. You’ll definitely remember the Edguy on helium and bath salts chorus, that’s for sure. The title track is the big highlight – a straight up nostalgia trip back to the debut. This song alone makes the album worth a listen and makes my steel heart happy. The guitar-work is painstakingly faithful to the band’s classic era and it’s easy to pretend this is the material that should have appeared circa 1989.
Unfortunately, the rest of the album is an unstable haunted amusement park ride with some songs taking flight and others crashing back to Earth hard. Cuts like “The Devil’s Greatest Trick” and “Carousel of Vagrant Souls” punch through on raw aggression and lunatic moxie, while others like “Trespassers” and “Veterans of Disaster” end up more annoying than entertaining. The balance of good to bad weighs against the band overall, and only a few songs really impress from start to finish. Too many feel like poor attempts to reanimate a long dead band’s mystique with ham-fisted excess being the only tool left in the kit. Try as I might, and with three decades of goodwill in my back pocket, I just can’t bring myself to love cuts like “Sonata Cosmica” or “Outer Space Connection.” Add to that an absolutely craptastic album cover and a closing instrumental that adds nothing and you have one rough return trip from oblivion.
I’m unsure exactly what to make of John Cyriis’ vocals in 2021. Sometimes it seems like no time has passed since his powerhouse voice blasted the metal world into ass dust in 85. Other times he sounds forced, silly and waaay over-produced. On top of that, his approach to every moment of every song can be summed up as nuclear bestial overkill. Enough so to make Ripper look like the patron saint of vocal restraint. It’s sometimes too much to bear, even for a huge fan like myself. While the vocals can be an ugly dog show, the same cannot be said for the guitar work from Nikolay Atanasov and Vinicius Carvalho. This titanic twosome gives it their all, thrashing, bashing and shredding across the known galaxy and beyond. The riff foundation they provide for John’s crazed vocals often end up the best part of the songs, and when solo time arrives, they go all in. Said solos are kept faithful to the sound and style of the 80s albums, which is a lovely touch for barely continent geezers like me. These boys have tremendous talent and without them this whole enterprise would have crashed way faster and much harder.
No Other Godz Before Me is not the Agent Steel comeback I deserved but it’s the comeback I got. After so long a time I suppose I should be thankful for getting anything at all. I’ve heard alien conspiracy theories less bizarre than this album, but if fate and the Great Red Space Ape somehow keep Agent Steel together for another shot before I’m checked into metal assisted living, I’ll be there ready to bleed for the Godz. Talk about drinking the Kool-Aid, huh? If you never heard the 80s albums, get your ass in the time machine and do so. As for this one, approach carefully with a long handled probe.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Dissonance Productions
Websites: agentsteel.net | facebook.com/agentsteelofficial
Releases Worldwide: March 19th, 2021
