Press Reviews

Album Review: Seven Cycle Theory "Agonist"

Enigma

By Elizabeth Saunders

And now for something completely different….. that's an old Monty Python reference, but I love it when I hear an album that brings that phrase to mind. It doesn't happen often, either. I hear a lot of music every day, but it takes something really special to draw me in to the point of really listening. The album "Agonist", by Nashville-based band Seven Cycle Theory is one of those, and I'm better off for it.

How, you wonder, could a hard rock album make me better off for having heard it? Mainly, it reinforced my long-held belief that a lot of the unsigned or Indie label bands I have heard recently are changing the face of music, as we know it. I lived in the Northwest during what is commonly referred to as the "Grunge Movement", and I had the same feeling back then. I was correct then, and "Agonist" validates what I keep trying to tell people: I am also correct now. There is a widely-held belief among my friends and family members that I always think I'm right, but those guys are just jealous.

I really do have a file labeled "Nirvana Syndrome", which doesn't mean anything with specific regard to the band Nirvana, rather; the phenomenon of new music that challenges the status quo of ordinary thinking. "Agonist" went directly into that file—well, after it spent a LONG time in my cd player.

I know I said that the album was a hard rock album, and it is. It is a lot of other things, as well. It pulls elements from techno, punk, industrial, metal, and I could keep going. That's because the sound doesn't fit neatly into any specific genre. It's all of them and none of them.

When I started into "Agonist", I thought I was going to be reviewing a band patterned after Slipknot (who I love and admire very much) due primarily to the amazing double-bass sound, and secondarily, the vocals on the track "By My Own Hand". But even within that first track, I realized that I was hearing synth tracks, white noise, along with a LOT of other stuff. Good stuff, I might add. This wasn't run-of-the mill hard core rock music.

I moved along to the track "Dissociate", and my jaw dropped. Was this even the same band? And yet, as I listened, there was no way this could be anything but the work of Seven Cycle Theory. "Dissociate" is extraordinarily melodic, still very hard-driving, but far less aggressive than "By My Own Hand". The true standout on that track is the bass. I have never made a secret of the fact that I'm a total bass-snob, and "Dissociate" appealed deeply to that sense of what a true bassist should sound like. Seven Cycle Theory's ability to merge a totally funky bass line with Jon Davis-ish (Korn) sounding vocals, searing guitar and the ever-present techno backbeat is genius. In my rough notes on the band, I referenced old Finger Eleven, the Mephisto Odyssey and Static X mix "Crash", along with Powerman 5000. It reminded me so much of those guys, and yet it was totally original.

And then, the most amazing thing happened. I listened to another track, "Only once", and was utterly floored--again. "Only Once" contains some of the most blindingly beautiful guitar work I have EVER heard. Ever. Again, I found myself wondering yet again: how could this be the work of the same band I just heard 3 minutes ago? This track "Only Once" reminded me of The Chili Peppers, Tom Petty, and somehow remained true to what Seven Cycle Theory is about. It is an awe-inspiring instrumental piece; that is to say it has no vocals whatsoever, but it spoke volumes to me nonetheless.

As stunningly diverse as "Agonist" is, there is a certain cohesiveness that binds the overall sound of the band. Perhaps the glue lies in the agonizing lyrical content—which, by the way, speaks to loss, heartache, emotional pain, and is oh-so-honest-- yet, doesn't depress. Maybe it lies in the combination of nearly unbelievable musicianship and those often heartbreaking lyrics that speak to the fragility which lies in us all. I honestly don't know.

Whatever the case may be, Seven Cycle Theory's "Agonist" feels like something tightly-woven that allows the listener to experience a bit of emotional unraveling. And maybe therein lies the key to the album's consistent appeal. "Agonist" seems to have a definite and strong personality, and if it wants the listener to head-bang, that's what will happen. If introspection is called for, that's what will happen. Sometimes it's both. It is happily unavoidable.

Seven Cycle Theory is Kevin Edlin (Guitar,vocals), Richard Robinette (Vocals, synths, samples, and loops), Chris Placco/Brandon Law bass, and Josh Douglas/Kevin Fridley (Drums)

"Agonist" was produced by Edlin (whose body of production and sound engineering work has played a part in multiple Grammy/Dove nods and awards for other artists, most notably The Nashville Symphony Orchestra) and Robinette, themselves It can be purchased on the band's website www.myspce.com/sevencycletheory