A hearty blend of gritty NY hardcore and dynamic, open ended metal, Agents Of Man are an up and coming New Jersey based band who look to break down a few of the walls that have been trapping their peers over the past few years and if this EP serves as any indication, a career on the side as a demolition crew might well be in their future. Exhibiting a surprising amount of depth, the band takes a lot of chances on this offering and despite the large risks, their confidence and agility often gracefully carries them through.

Comparisons to acts like 40 Below Summer, Candiria and Sevendust are warranted as the band mesh together a pounding rhythm section with emotive, urban influenced vocals but it is perhaps the broader incorporation of melody into their aggressive song writing which truly sets them apart. The vocals are generally the strongest melodic aspect of the band and their mature range embarks on a sharply focused journey of towering highs and cavernous lows that borrow much from traditional singing elements to compliment their intense throaty volleys. Some clever instrumentation is also in place to bolster the aforementioned performance and when combined with the thunderously dense rhythm section, the power and force of the bands material is hard to deny.

The constant experimentation with various styles is unquestionably one of the most defining factors present here and goes far to increase the playing value of the material on hand. But unlike their peers they are by no means trying to amalgamate a handful of genres into a schizophrenic monstrosity and instead choose smooth transitions and lengthy periods of development to let their creativity shine. Still, for what they get right, there are quite a few stumbling blocks that slow down the bands momentum and it is painfully evident on tracks like "No Touch To The Feeling", a song which instantly kills the EP's dark atmosphere with its poppy, almost 80's metal sound, invoking a change of pace which really just seems unnecessary in the face of the much stronger salvos like "Headless (In A Temple)". Such distractions suggest that they'd be far better off to pare down a few of the excess elements they try to include and instead focus on the stronger core sounds that they excel at on this offering, and until this happens, the bands material can leave listeners at a bit of a crossroads as it feels like they are trying to be everything to everybody, stretching themselves thin in the process. Even though such faults are at place though, the steps and advancements the band are attempting to make here are a welcome change and once perfected, should rocket them to the forefront.