AGENTS OF FORTUNE

Agents of Fortune was quite a departure from bold, ambitious, authentic and adventurous previous records. The band was maybe trying to get higher financial return while not losing their credibility. Guitars are still main element in the sound but better balanced by keyboards, which is not necessarily a bad thing. More polished sound is not only due to array of keyboards but also less pondering and less busy drumming. Vocals and compositional qualities remain high; progressive tendencies are almost gone but let's acknowledge small addition trumpet and saxophone. Instrumental parts in songs are still very pleasant. "Don't fear the reaper" is the most famous cut due to its easy going melody and catchiness but miles away from being their best song, I found the main section even a bit boring and simplistic but the middle section with keyboards and wailing guitar save the day. "E.T.I" finally brings some heavy riffing inside, it's a relatively slow song but thankfully enough for a great guitar solo. "Sinful love" is a prime example of band's updated sound with funkier more commercial appeal and more polished guitars. "Tatoo vampire" is a high-quality punk infected song and as heavy as it could get in 1976. "Tenderloin" is one of few songs where keyboards and bass dominate over guitars. "Debbie Denise" sounds like a love song and has a great melody including acoustic guitars, too. A nice addition to BOC discography.