The Agonist has released four studio albums since their inception in Canada in 2004, including their 2015 release, Eye of Providence. The latest release is a new beginning for the group, as it’s the debut for new singer, Vicky Psarakis. Psarakis replaced former vocalist, Alissa White-Gluz, who departed in 2014.
The band is currently touring as the opening act for Epica and Eluveitie and on September 8, 2015 they played their first show of the tour at the Baltimore Soundstage in Baltimore, Maryland. Typically, opening acts don’t draw a large crowd as concert goers seem to arrive en masse just prior to the main act. This was not the case for The Agonist. Fans were lined up at the doors early. When I walked into the hall, I was surprised to see that people weren’t hanging out by the bar located in the back of the building, but rather they each took their places in front of the stage, waiting for The Agonist’s arrival and this was 30 minutes before showtime. By the start of their set, the venue was packed with fans were eagerly and as soon as the group appeared before the crowd, they were met with a raucous applause.
A new singer in a band requires an adjustment by its’ fans to adapt to the new sound, but by the reaction of the crowd throughout the set it was apparent the adjustment was made very well. Psarakis uses both guttural and clean vocals, and her voice live is as wonderful as it is on their latest album. She growled through lyrics admirably and her clean vocals were smooth, on key and soothingly melodic. She worked the stage with confidence and enthusiasm and appeared to enjoy the fans as much as they enjoyed her performance.
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The guitar work by Danny Marino and Pascal Jobin was as good as ever. Mix that with solid basslines by Chris Kells and the thundering drums by Simon McCay and you have a solid sounding band that is truly a sum of parts. During the set, the group paced the stage and banged their heads as they fed off the energy of the crowd. There was no doubt, they were all having a blast onstage.
When they exited the stage, the room was buzzing and the capacity crowd was energized for Epica and Eluveitie. Overall, this was a great performance by The Agonist as they ripped through a set that included “Danse Macabre”, “Gates of Horn and Ivory” and “Follow the Crossed Line” from their new release, as well as a few tunes from earlier releases. The tour continues through the U.S. and Canada through October 3.
