Folks, though I may be the last person to write about the 7" in question due to being so behind the times in this particular genre, I feel that it's only necessary to sing the praises of Agitator's Enter Vice Lords before we say goodbye to 2010. Boyertown, Pennsylvania's Agitator are a fairly new hardcore band that, with their 4-song EP Enter Vice Lords, have struck a chord with me that most-- if not any hardcore acts, haven't.
These 11 minutes are dense with chugging riffs, discordantly anthemic power-chords, throbbing bass, pummeling drums, and emotive, tortured vocals. With this brief time span, this 7" provides a crushing and gripping set of songs without spreading itself thin. Though accentuated by powerful and well parsed production, all of the aforementioned elements are to be expected from the likes of Agitator.
What sets Agitator apart from others, and what I find to be Enter Vice Lords's highlight, are the lyrics. The quartet have made it apparent on their Myspace page that they have a straightedge approach to their music, and not one of these songs strays from it. On "Natural Selection" vocalist Marty shouts "You went to a party and drank lots of beer/Instead of sleeping it off, you put your car in gear." The lyrics have a clever "you get what you deserve" sentiment, which is much more impacting than any "Don't drink, don't do drugs, etc." delivery that could easily distance the listener from the music.
Unlike some, Agitator have a rhyme and reason to their anger, and it's justified and accentuated by equally aggressive musicianship. Enter Vice Lords has two effective purposes: to serve as an unapologetic and infectiously hostile venture into chaos, and to present a thought-provoking social commentary. What Agitator have introduced is an intelligent and uncompromising tactic to hardcore that avoids favoring one concept over the other.
[Agitator Myspace]
[Buy Enter Vice Lords from Harvcore Records]
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