Agony's The First Defiance, the only release from this Swedish band, starts and ends with some very fast and furious tracks but features also some less frantic material. The main issue with the music is that it's rather generic and unoriginal though this was a common problem with many other bands in the scene as well. The songs are very well done and the production is good and all, it's just that this band pretty much failed to make themselves distinguishable from countless others. Only occasionally do some riffs hint of some genuine ideas but these moments are quite rare after all. The band sound professional and the music is up to any thrash metal standards out there but the neutral, even clinical feel of the music tends to leave the listener pretty bored. As an example of technically well-done thrash metal The First Defiance certainly serves its purpose, but the lack of true character and spirit somewhat weakens the result.