The 10 Best The Agonist Songs of All-Time
Originally hailing from Montreal, Quebec, Canada is a metal band known as The Agonist. Founded in 2004, the original roster featured Chris Kells (bass), Danny Marino (guitar), Derek Nadon (drums), and Alissa White-Gluz (lead vocals). Within the heavy metal genre, the styles of metal The Agonist are best known for are usually referred to as progressive, deathcore, and melodic. This is mostly credited to the mix of clean and growled vocals that came from Alissa White-Gluz (until 2014) during her staged and studio performances. Despite The Agnoist already officially forming as a band in 2004, they didn’t release their first album (Once Only Imagined) until August 14, 2007. Originally intended as a demo, the release prompted the band to bring Simon McKay in, ultimately becoming Derek Nadon’s replacement as the band’s drummer.
After their first album, The Agonist toured with several other heavy metal bands. It was during this particular tour where it got interrupted due to a blizzard that took place in the Canadian Rocky Mountains that damaged their equipment trailer. Lead vocalist Alissa White-Gluz was voted as one of the hottest female metal singers in 2007 by Revolver Magazine, which did play a role in the boost of The Agonist’s popularity, especially when it came to their music videos. With MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball in 2007, their music video (Business Suits and Combat Suits) was voted the number six video of the year. From 2004 until 2014, White-Gluz sang for The Agonist until she was offered to join the Swedish metal band known as Arch Enemy.
As of March 17, 2014, it was officially announced Alissa White-Gluz was taking over the departing Angela Gossow as their band’s lead vocalist. Upon the departure of White-Gluz from the band in 2014, Vicky Psarakis took her place as lead vocalist and uses the exact same singing style. The Agonist continues to record and tour today, and so far has released a total of six studio albums and two EPs. Recently announced, there is a third EP (Days Before the World Wept), expected to be released in October 2021.
10. Remnants In Time
The recently released track (Remnants In Time) comes from The Agonist’s upcoming EP (Days Before the World Wept) and has quickly emerged as one of the favorites among death metal fans.
9. Forget Tomorrow
Released from their 2007 debut album (Only Once Imagined) is the track (Forget Tomorrow) that really wasn’t officially released as a single. However, fans of The Agonist find it among their best material, especially Alissa White-Gluz loyalists who are in agreement with each other she is the best female vocalist to growl within the deathcore metal music scene.
8. …And Their Eulogies Sang Me to Sleep
Coming from The Agonist’s second studio album (Lullabies for the Dormant Mind), is its 2007 released single (…And Their Eulogies Sang Me to Sleep). According to a site belonging to The Top Tens, it consistently remains in their top ten most-listened-to songs belonging to The Agonist’s roster. The rankings there are based solely on fan response as they visit and vote on that site. While this is just one source that agrees this song deserves to be listed, so do a few others, including Online Box Radio, which tracks the most played songs within the last 14 days. Despite this single being well over a decade old, the fact it still charts (currently at #23) with a site like Online Box Radio suggests fans still regard And Their Eulogies Sang Me to Sleep as among their favorites.
7. Momento Mori
Released from the 2007 debut album (Only Once Imagined) is the song (Momento Mori), which fans and critics continue to regard as “classic Agonist metal.”
6. Gates of Horn and Ivory
The Agonist’s album (Eye of Providence) was released in 2015, along with the single (Gates of Horn and Ivory). While it’s the band’s fourth studio album, it is the first with Vicky Psarakis after Alissa White-Gluz’s less than amicable departure from the band. Not only did this disprove Alissa’s statement that The Argonists were finished as a band, but that their overall performance as a band with Psarakis saw overall improvement. Fans who felt betrayed with Gluz’s departure from The Agonist quickly embraced Psarakis, as well as Gates of Horn and Ivory.
5. Forget Tomorrow
The song (Forget Tomorrow) comes from The Agonist’s debut album (Only Once Imagined). Upon its release in 2007, both this song and the album it belongs to continues to be a favorite among fans and critics of not just The Agonist, but the Canadian brand of deathcore metal.
4. Business Suits and Combat Boots
What earned the first single released from The Agonist’s debut album (Only Once Imagined) the fan-favorite rating it did so quickly was how well it performed as a music video on MTV since it first aired on August 28, 2007. It seemed to serve as a very powerful hello to the Canadian audience of metal music fans, one which still makes a huge impression on them today.
3. In Vertigo
From the 2019 album (Orphans), comes the single (In Vertigo). The most widespread comment among fans and critics is the steady improvement of the band and how their newest material possibly serves as their best material to date. Not only do those who follow The Agonist seem to agree Vicky Psarakis has been instrumental in the band’s evolutionary direction as a performer, but also Simon McKay as their drummer.
2. Panophobia
The Agonist’s 2011 album (Prisoners) brings forth it’s single (Panophobia), which has ranked high among many death metal appreciation sites at a worldwide level. This is not an easy achievement, but not only did this song become a huge favorite among fans and critics, but it also captured the attention of the Swedish metal band known as Arch Enemy. It was the final album The Agonist band produced with Alissa White-Gluz as their lead singer before she jumped over to the camp of Arch Enemy.
1. Thank You, Pain
Taken from the 2009 album (Lullabies for the Dormant Mind) is the single (Thank You, Pain). Among clubs that fully engage in various styles from the heavy metal music genre, it is one of the most played and positively responded to songs by The Agonist fans. Mutually agreed with the majority of their fans, it is the best performance Alissa White-Gluz ever did while still with The Agonist. Many also agree, even while with Arch Enemy, she hasn’t performed quite as well as she did with Thank You, Pain.
