UMUR
"The First Defiance" is the debut and sole full-length studio album by Swedish thrash metal act Agony. The album was released through Combat Records in 1988.
The music on the 8 track, 44:43 minutes long album is US, Bay Area influenced thrash metal. I don´t recall many Swedish acts playing this style in the late eighties but Agony are definitely more than capable of representing the blue and yellow colours. The production is pretty raw and lack slightly on the power barometer, the material is pretty standard for the genre but the musicianship are strong. I especially enjoy the many well played guitar solos. Lead vocalist Pete Lundstrom has a raw staccato style singing that suits the instrumental part of the music well. Again it´s pretty standard for the genre though.
While "The First Defiance" is a pretty standard Bay Area influenced thrash metal affair, it´s still a solid release and most likely an enjoyable listen to fans of the genre and I´d say a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.