Agony Column never exactly set the world on fire with their brand of "hellbilly" metal that rode in on the coattails of thrash and speed metal in the late 80s. This Austin based band was actually a bit better than many of the peripheral bands of the era, though not quite noteworthy enough to get a whole lot of notice. The band's debut, God, Guns and Guts is a moderately enjoyable slab of metal that has its strong moments, though the band's reliance on a basic songwriting formula keeps it from being a contender for 1989's "Album of the Year".

The band played up its southern roots, adopting such nicknames as "Devil Chicken" and "Bat Lord", though one would assume these guys had a better sense of humor about stage monikers than some of the Norwegian black metal bands that would emerge in the coming years. Of course, this is the only reference to Norwegian black metal in this entire review and let's face it, it's superfluous at best. Anyhow, Agony Column played a bit slower than some of their thrash metal counterparts, sticking to more chugging riffs and a touch of a groove. It should be noted they do not sound like any of the groove oriented bands that also emerged in the 90s. Vocalist Richie "Devil Chicken" Turner was truly far from gifted, yet he injects quite a bit of character into his thin, mildly growly delivery. The album's best track, "Cars, Sex and Violence", caught my ear back in 1989 on a metal radio show for its leftfield delivery. Another interesting moment is the blend of southern rock and blues on "Blackjack".

God, Guns and Guts may not have really caught the attention of most metal fans upon its release, but there is something endearing about it regardless of its shortcomings. If you fancy yourself any sort of 80s metal collector, this is worth tracking down at some point.

Review by John Chedsey

Review date: 01/2010

Back to top