CoC : Agent Steel - Omega Conspiracy : Review

Agent Steel - _Omega Conspiracy_
(Candlelight, 1999)
by: Paul Schwarz (6 out of 10)

Like so many bands who have of late attempted to rekindle the fire of mid-eighties metal, Agent Steel are, put simply, irritating. I really don't care if they have a "history" or if they've "paid their dues", because whatever their past, the simple fact is that the majority of _Omega Conspiracy_'s songs fail to emote or invigorate me in any significant way whatsoever. Repetitive riffs and chorus tirades, a somewhat flat production and spectacularly irritating vocals make the whole thing a pretty dull experience in retroistic, unoriginal metal songwriting, and only the well executed "Into the Nowhere" and a fleeting few moments otherwise rescue _Omega Conspiracy_ from the bottom of the proverbial barrel. This would have been a sub-standard metal album if it had been released at the dawn of the last decade; being released at the dawn of the new millennium puts it in no better position.

(article published 25/5/2000)