The Agony Scene seem intent on proving that the Europeans aren't the only ones who excel at combining death metal influences with brutally efficient technical thrash on their self-titled Solid State debut. Much like Darkest Hour before them, the group pay considerable homage to the legendary At The Gates, but also seem to have a bit of Carcass, Zao and Slayer in their sound as well, as bottom heavy grooves unite with scorching metal riffery under the leadership of asphyxiated scorched larynx vocals.

As band frontman Michael Williams unleashes his blistering verbal exorcisms, Swedish influenced riffs cut and slash like a scalpel in the hands of a madman underneath. Leaving considerable gashes and wounds, the guitarwork rarely strikes for a killing blow as the band establish a steady build-up through repetition and minor progressions rather than huge haymakers and wallops. While this could be crippling to some groups, the rhythm section present here brilliantly compensates for the slightly caged six string demeanor and unloads a wealth of thunderous drumming and a leathery basslines; Easily providing the finishing blows to keep the listener down for the count.

Generally in this area of metal spectrum one is met with little more than blastbeats and incessant solos and wails. Thankfully The Agony Scene do not practice such formulas and instead prefer to implement a considerable amount of dynamic tension, along with the occasional meaty breakdown, to sway their frenetic pace. Ultimately their songs are still flush with the type of sinewy metal riffing and evil sounding content that would be expected of any metal band possessing such heralded Swedish influences. But they also have a solid grasp on the North American requisites as well and manage to retain a somewhat universal appeal. Unfortunately however, aside from a fantastic cover of The Rolling Stones' classic "Paint It Black", little new ground is broken and this key flaw seems to be this quintet's Achilles heel. There's no disputing that "The Agony Scene" isn't a vigorously paced album perfect to blow of some steam to, but its lack of innovation does put its longevity in one's playlist in question.