Album Review: LIFE OF AGONY - A Place Where There's No More Pain

01. Meet My Maker
02. Right This Wrong
03. A Place Where There’s No More Pain
04. Dead Speak Kindly
05. A New Low
06. World Gone Mad
07. Bag Of Bones
08. Walking Catastrophe
09. Song For The Abused
10. Little Spots Of You

It's been twelve years since the last Life Of Agony studio album Broken Valley, and a lot has changed since then. A major change for the band is that lead singer Keith Caputo has come out as transgender, and is now Mina Caputo. It has been really positive to see how the vast majority of Life Of Agony fans and the Metal scene in general have been so supportive over this. Mina's ongoing battle with depression and emotional struggles have clearly been poured into the lyrics on this record. There's a lot of darkness, but also a lot of light. This gives the songs a cathartic feel, and make an interesting listen.

Musically, the band are in a similar place to where they were on Broken Valley, and shares a 90's influence, with a Post-Grunge meets Heavy Rock style going on. I don't think the music is in any way groundbreaking as it's too retro for that, but it is certainly pretty cool nonetheless. If you enjoyed the Soul Searching Sun album as well as the Broken Valley, I'm confident that A Place Where There's No More Pain won't let you down. However, if you were hoping for something heavier or a return to their Hardcore roots as heard on their debut album River Runs Red, this new record may not be your thing.

Personally, I've enjoyed every era of Life Of Agony, even when Whitfield Crane took over as lead singer for a while. They've always been great live, and the standards of their recorded work has always been very high. A Place Where There's No More Pain may not be their best album, but it's certainly a solid piece of work, and a welcome one at that. I'm just hoping that we don't have to wait another twelve years for the next one.