I wholly disagree with the critics (scores) for this full-length - to me it's quality melodic metal/metalcore. The main drawback I think was the fact that Alissa left the band to pursue Arch Enemy, though I think that The Agonist has a good fit with this new vocalist named Vicky. I'm actually in favor of her vocals, especially the clean ones. That doesn't mean that I'm jumping on the metalcore bandwagon, it just means that her clean voice fits. I know that there will not be another 'Prisoners' (2012) or anything with that striking intensity, but 'Eye of Providence' is quite a good metal album. The main changes were the less technical songwriting (not the leads), but I think that there's a definitely more metalcore element to this one. I don't find it repetitive, no way.

Don't throw out a value-judgement with the naysayers of this dubbing it to lose direction or any other flapdoodle that exists in discussing the musical element to this release. I love the production, the guitars, voice (both hoarse/clean), drums and overall vibe to the album. The song tempos are much less intense than previous releases, there's more of a groove essence exhibited - songs are heavy, yet more of a metalcore approach. I like the clean female voice, I think Vicky can really put out quality and did so on this album. It's a little difficult to follow the actual structures though in the music. They seemed to have had a lot of ideas of sounds they wanted to put into this and did so, but the voice fits the music definitely.

This band does nothing but offer quality to the metal scene. Not only that, but variety or if you variability. A definitely gifted act, I couldn't believe that people would resort to this as being nothing really worth hearing. It's pretty awesome, though I give it a "B-" because of the fact that they didn't emphasize enough rhythm guitars that were wholly memorable. They seemed to jump around a lot with the music, but the leads are ingenious. It's merely a songwriting flaw to the rhythms - my contention was that they lacked in the riff-writing despite having numerously different tunes it seems that didn't take precedence. I feel that it's the only major drawback because the voices are just wholly admirable. Vicky is a gem!

I didn't manage to read the content lyrically, only the album titles. They have very well thought out words and are very creative in that respect. This band didn't let go of their talent or throw anything away musically, it'd just be better if they focused more on their core sound rather than having riffs going in all different directions. Despite saying all this, the voice does match their sound and concept that they wished to put into here. I don't think that they totally abandoned their roots, I just think that the music could've been more of an emphasis, not a swing into regression. Very very good lead guitar work though I must say. That really stood out on here. Definitely talent incorporated on that front.

If you dislike metalcore totally, this release isn't for you. Even though it fits into 2 different sub-genres, the vocals make it sound more metalcore than anything else. It's really a good metal album though. It has all the elements of a good album from a talented band. There is nothing overtly fast in the tempos though, the music could've been a little bit better in terms of time spent making more riffs on the guitar that seem to capture you. It's what made it a lesser then in their discography. Of course Alissa could never be replaceable, but Vicky does a good job with this band. She completes them with her voice, that's why I'm giving the album a score that I think it deserves. Take a listen and judge for yourself!

Rating: 8 (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Death8699
01/06/2016 11:20