AGENTS OF THE SUN – Monarchs Of A Fallen Society

Agents of the Sun hit the ground running with their initial release, Aurora, in 2003. At the time, they were touted as hot up-and-comers. With their latest release, Monarchs of a Fallen Society, they are bound to be hailed as one of Rock’s new heavies. These five Baltimore-based misfits have recorded an uncompromising, driven album of fierce Rock songs.

The album title is a reference to the mythical Phoenix rising from the ashes. The monarchs tie in directly to the album’s cover art, and the idea of rising from tragedy is a theme that runs throughout the entire disc. After recording their first album, the band felt they hadn’t captured the essence of who they were. They were unable to recreate the sound and vibe that they were known for in their live shows. On “Monarchs,” the band felt pressure to achieve the sound that they knew they possessed; hence the theme of overcoming adversity.

The opening “Wounds” leaves no doubt that the energy with which the band is associated is present in the music. Thick guitars and a super-tight rhythm section build a framework that allows vocalist Ray Dobson to demonstrate his talents loud and clear. Jason Fubler and Ralph Rodriguez trade blistering leads, and compliment each other with smart hook laden guitar lines; when one of them is crunching beefy chords, the other will work slow staccato lines or ambient guitar sounds to fatten up the sound. They don’t just mimic each other’s chords. Bassist Frankie Hernandez keeps his thick, solid bass driving underneath to allow the guitarists room to be creative. Dave Dobson, Ray’s brother, holds it all together with concrete footwork and a wicked left hand on the drums.

Expanding on Funk-meets-Rock, Agents of the Sun sound like a stripped down Linkin Park or 311 fused with Sum 41 and Trapt; groovy Rock tunes with a lot of melody and very sing-able choruses. “So Long” sounds like an anthem for the next teen angst movie, and if “Therapy” isn’t a Top Ten single, it will be a great mistake on radio’s part. Combining the rich strong structure with smart lyrics, the Agents avoid the normal Party Rock archetype; this will extend their listenable status.

This disc is definitely a “what’s hot right now release” in the Pop/Metal market, but it is one of the stronger releases for the genre regarding craftsmanship. Maybe it is the non-Rock Mecca location of Baltimore, or maybe it is just the right group of guys at the right time that offers a fresh breath of creativity to this sound. Regardless of why, Agents of the Sun have twelve tracks of high quality music that will thump your speaker box.