Blighted Eye – Agony’s Bespoke

One Listen Review

1st Listen 20 Sept 24
Reviewed 25 Sept 24

Beyond the Top Records

Released 20 Sept 24

Agony’s Bespoke is the debut album by, Seattle based, progressive blackened-death metal outfit Blighted Eye. At over an hour long, and featuring the darkest of material, it is not for the faint hearted, but if you have the time to delve into the 9 tracks on offer, it is a richly rewarding listen.

Inspired by the Australian film, The Nightingale, the album is described as seeking to ‘explore the lasting emotional and psychological impact of trauma’. As a result, the album has a delicious spiteful and subtle malicious undertone underpinning its innate aggressive heaviness. The content of the film that Agony’s Bespoke is less than delicious, I must stress!

Vocally, Kyle Chapman nails it. Big and grunty, his vocal style compliments the heavy riffs, superior bass tone and rock steady drumming. At times, he slips into almost

Abbath style vocals, especially in ‘A Reverent Stillness’, a track that is slightly slower that the rest of the album, but still managing to retain the heavy.

The tracks are all very listenable. You can immerse yourself into them, but when Blighted Eye, vary things up a bit, they properly impress. ‘Pallid’ is a track featuring a slower passage before the band end the track with unfettered aggression and heaviness. It helps you stretch those neck muscles.

As a debut album, Agony’s Bespoke is mightily impressive, but there are still places where Blighted Eye can improve. No interlude track perhaps? A slight reduction in the length of the album? Although a decent closing song, ‘Agony’s Bespoke’ doesn’t need to be over 11 minutes long.

These are minor issues in what is an impressive debut and, if it is a start of things to come, the future is bright for the boys from Seattle.