History
In 1983 a demo was released by a speed metal band named Sceptre which contained two future Agent Steel songs: Taken By Force and 144,000 Gone. The guitarist on this demo was John Camps who is believed to be John Cyriis, a founder of Agent Steel. Taken By Force also appeared on the Metal Massacre IV compilation from Metal Blade.
John Camps left Sceptre (which then disbanded) and went on to join Abattoir as their vocalist under the name John Syriis, which soon changed to John Cyriis. He soon left Abattoir and teamed up with drummer Chuck Profus to form Sanctuary, which soon became Agent Steel. Mark Marshall (before he joined Savage Grace) and Sill Simmons joined the band as the two guitarists with George Robb on bass. This line-up recorded the 144,000 Gone demo in 1984.
Various guitarist changes occurred after the demo until ex-Abattoir guitarist Juan Garcia and future Holy Terror guitarist Kurt Colfelt became members. The first Agent Steel full length album titled Skeptics Apocalypse was released on Combat Records in the middle of 1985.
Kurt Colfelt soon left the band after falling out with John Cyriis and formed Holy Terror. He was replaced by guitarist Bernie Versailles and an EP was recorded titled Mad Locust Rising in late 1985. It was released in the USA by Combat Records and in Europe by Music For Nations. This EP contained one of a few Judas Priest cover songs that were recorded by the band, The Ripper.
George Robb left the band soon after Mad Locust Rising was released and was replaced by bassist Michael Zaputil. In March 1986 the band went into Morrisound Recording Studios to record the full length follow-up to Mad Locust Rising, Unstoppable Force. The band stopped recording for a few months as they went to Europe to tour. They toured through May with Anthrax and Overkill where the split video US Speed Metal Attack was recorded. They returned in June to finish recording Unstoppable Force; however, the album was to be released in 1987 due to problems with the product.
After the recording of Unstoppable Force, the band was severed when the band members spread out across the USA. John Cyriis and Chuck Profus went to Tampa, Florida; while Juan Garcia, Bernie Versailles and Michael Zaputil who were annoyed with Cyriis stayed in California.
John Cyriis and Chuck Profus hired guitarists James Murphy and Jay Weslord as well as bassist Richard Bateman for a European tour. The tour was partly a success; however, some of the audiences did not seem to appreciate Agent Steel's more melodic approach to heavy metal (in comparison to harsher thrash metal). The final show of the tour with Nuclear Assault (which had the UK thrash metal band Onslaught as the opener) at Hammersmith Odeon on the 20th of June 1987 was recorded live and released as a video later that year.
Internal problems with the band and also the lack of appreciation by many metalheads during the tour caused the band to end in 1988.
After the band broke up in 1988 Chuck Profus and John Cyriis joined and formed a number of projects both together and separately.
Juan Garcia, after leaving Agent Steel, had formed the thrash metal band Evildead with ex-members of his old band Abattoir (as the band had split up by then). The band released 2 full length albums, an EP and a live album. They had reasonable success in the metal underground. Even though the band broke up, some of the members including Juan Garcia created a new band called Terror who released one album and an EP before breaking up.
In 1999 Agent Steel was reborn. Juan Garcia brought in bassist Karlos Medina that had been with him in Evildead and Terror, while Chuck Profus and Bernie Versailles returned. Bruce Hall joined the band as the new vocalist. His vocals were not as high-pitched as John Cyriis's but the clean sung vocals remained in Agent Steel.
Agent Steel recorded Omega Conspiracy in 1999 which was there first album in 13 years. Their sound continued on as speed metal with some modern touches.
Chuck Profus sustained a hand injury and so Rigo Amezcua (ex-Terror drummer) filled in for him for live performances. He soon decided to leave the band and so Rigo Amezcua replaced him permanently. With this line-up the band started writing new material for their next full length album starting in 2001. The album, titled Order Of The Illuminati, was released in 2003.
Soon a mini CD was released (late 2003) titled Earth Under Lucifer, which contains the single Earth Under Lucifer and three songs recorded from live performances following the release of Order Of The Illuminati.
In 2005 Agent Steel released their first DVD which contains an entire performance at Dynamo Open Air.
In september of 2007 they released their fifth full length album, titled 'Alienigma'.
On May the 3th, 2010, the band announced the comeback of Cyriis with the following statement:
As some of you may, or may not have already heard the news that AGENT STEEL has parted ways with vocalist Bruce Hall. We as a band would like to acknowledge the accomplishments together with Bruce and the (3) three solid metal offerings; 'OMEGA CONSPIRACY', 'ORDER OF THE ILLUMINATI', and 'ALIENIGMA'. Together we had the fortune of touring and sharing the stage in some amazing places and visited some breathtaking countries. Bruce dedicated over a decade to AGENT STEEL and for this he should be recognized, and we part on good terms. We as a band still have the fire and passion to deliver the metal goods to fans from the past, present and future. We had been writing new material for the next chapter of AGENT STEEL, and after the news got out that we separated from Bruce; we were contacted by original singer; CYRIIS. Call it destiny; call it what you will, but now the communicative channel is open between AGENT STEEL and vocalist CYRIIS; we are in talks about an imminent AGENT STEEL reunion tour possibly involving summer/fall 2010 appearances and an extensive '2011' Metal-blitz. Honestly, we do not know how long this reunion will last; however this could be the long awaited destiny of AGENT STEEL originally interrupted, so long as everything moves forward in an evolving good working climate. Our objective regarding this AGENT STEEL reunion is attached with the intentions of providing the opportunity to not only the dedicated fans, but also to a whole new generation of metal fans the chance to see AGENT STEEL live on stage with CYRIIS; the original voice on the classic ‘SKEPTICS APOCALYPSE’, ‘UNSTOPPABLE FORCE’, and ‘MAD LOCUST RISING’ releases. The legacy continues...stay tuned."
Enslaved
Agent Steel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To end all their misery
Caused by their ignorance
They pray to those who would be king
To gods, we gave to men
To gods, who never were
Observing their pain
All seeing eye
Fathers of hate
Confused in a state of fear
A panicked mind, an endless tear
Suffer for our chosen children
Suffer for their pound of flesh
The lie, king of kings
The lie, crucified
A paper God attached to strings dances to the songs we sing on high
Demanding their shame
All seeing eye
Won't look away
We're here to remind you
You are enslaved
You're chained to your fear
You are enslaved
Though freedom surrounds you
You stay our slave
And we stay right here
As long as you follow the path you've been given
We'll reap the harvest of pain we have sown
Don't open your minds; don't ever ask questions
We'll gladly play games we have already won
Abused into servitude
You're weakened by your faithfulness
Cower as you're want to do
Believe the lie you think the best
And die the death you've been prescribed
A victim by design you writhe and supplicate
Question not and seal your fate
The eye
Sees in your mind
All seeing eye
Never goes blind
We're here to remind you
You are enslaved
You're chained to your fear
You are enslaved
Though freedom surrounds you
You stay our slave
And we stay right here
The lyrics of Agent Steel's "Enslaved" speak to the idea that humanity has been controlled by a higher power, often invisible and intangible, and that this supposed deity is nothing more than a construct created to divide the masses and instill fear in its subjects. The song speaks of a universe in which humans are enslaved by their own ignorance and fear and are praying to supernatural beings that never existed in the first place. The gods that they pray to are said to be those who would be king– symbols of power that have been entrenched in society despite being created by a council to manipulate the masses.
Throughout the song, the idea of pain and suffering at the hands of a higher power is repeated. "Fathers of hate" describes the council or creator of this narrative, who remain on high and observe the pain of their subjects. The "all-seeing eye" is symbolic of how this higher power is always watching, demanding their shame and serving as a symbol of the oppressive force that controls humanity. Those who follow the path given to them are told that they will be enslaved forever, bound by their fear and unable to escape.
Agent Steel's lyrics invite the listener to question the power structures in place in the world and to consider how they may be manipulated to keep the masses in line. The song argues that the freedom people seek is already around them, and they must break free from false narratives to truly be free.
Line by Line Meaning
They pray to the universe
The people are appealing to the universe for help.
To end all their misery
They want their suffering to end.
Caused by their ignorance
Their lack of knowledge led to their misery.
They pray to those who would be king
They pray to their leaders for help.
To gods, we gave to men
We created gods to control human behavior.
To gods, who never were
These gods do not really exist.
Created by our council to divert their minds while remain on high
The gods were created by the ruling council to control the masses.
Observing their pain
The council is watching the people suffer.
All seeing eye
The council is all-knowing and always watching.
Fathers of hate
The council is responsible for the suffering and hatred of the people.
Confused in a state of fear
The people are afraid and unsure what to do.
A panicked mind, an endless tear
They are emotionally distraught.
Suffer for our chosen children
The people are suffering for the benefit of the ruling class.
Suffer for their pound of flesh
The people are being exploited and abused.
The lie, king of kings
The ruling class is lying to the people to maintain power.
The lie, crucified
The truth is being suppressed and silenced.
A paper God attached to strings dances to the songs we sing on high
The gods are a false construct controlled by the ruling class.
Demanding their shame
The ruling class is using shame to control the people.
All seeing eye
The council is always watching and knows everything.
Won't look away
The council will not ignore disobedience or dissent.
We're here to remind you
The song is a warning to the people.
You are enslaved
The people are being controlled and manipulated by those in power.
You're chained to your fear
The people's fear is being used to keep them obedient.
Though freedom surrounds you
The people have the potential for freedom, but are not taking advantage of it.
You stay our slave
They are still under the control of their oppressors.
And we stay right here
The ruling class will remain in power as long as the people do not rise up against them.
As long as you follow the path you've been given
The ruling class maintains control by keeping the people on a predetermined path.
We'll reap the harvest of pain we have sown
The ruling class will continue to benefit from the suffering of the people.
Don't open your minds; don't ever ask questions
The ruling class is discouraging independent thought and inquiry from the people.
We'll gladly play games we have already won
The rulers have ultimate power and are not threatened by the people's attempts at rebellion.
Abused into servitude
The people are being forced into servitude through exploitation and manipulation.
You're weakened by your faithfulness
The people's loyalty and obedience is being used against them.
Cower as you're want to do
The oppressed people are afraid and are being cowed by their oppressors.
Believe the lie you think the best
The people are being deceived and choosing to accept the deception as truth.
And die the death you've been prescribed
The people are being limited in their lifespan by their oppressors.
A victim by design you writhe and supplicate
The people are being made into victims by a system that is deliberately designed to exploit and control them.
Question not and seal your fate
The people are being discouraged from questioning their oppression and submitting to their fate.
The eye
The council's all-seeing eye that watches and observes.
Sees in your mind
They observe the thoughts of the people.
All seeing eye
The council claims to have full knowledge and understanding of everything that is happening.
Never goes blind
The council will never stop watching or lose its power.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
lonewizzard
amazing band, love it.
Egomaniac 40
Masters of Metal FOREVER! fANTASTIC song \mm/
stunnah0811
Great Song, the Part from 1:42 is awesome. ;)
MetalMike87
Such a shame almost everyone snub this album :(
Paulo Roberto Padilha
Metal puror
Paulo Roberto Padilha
Esse formação meia boca
Anton Sander
It's spelled Dickinson. -_-
Vagelis Grigoriou
2020?