Life of Agony celebrates 30 years with Sick of It All at Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg on April 1
From a press release:
It has been three decades since the release of Life of Agony’s critically acclaimed and game-changing debut album, “River Runs Red,” and the legendary alternative metal band is celebrating this milestone with a world tour this year.
The current North American leg of the tour with Sick of It All, dubbed 30 Sick Years of Agony, brings two New York City greats together for a show that is not to be missed. This run wraps up on Saturday, April 1 at the Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg.
Fellow New Yorkers Coventry Carols and Bethlehem “mutant rock” band Rubix Pube will open the all-ages show where LoA will perform “River Runs Red” in its entirety.
“‘River Runs Red’ was an album that helped so many people get through some really dark times,” said Life of Agony bassist Alan Robert.
“It was raw, heavy, and extremely emotional when it dropped back in ’93. We had no idea the impact it would have on that generation, let alone being able to see it have such longevity three decades later.”
Doors at the Sherman (524 Main St., Stroudsburg) open at 6 p.m., and the concert starts at 6:45 p.m.
General admission tickets, which are $25 in advance or $28 at the door, are on sale now at the Sherman Theater box office and online via shermantheater.com and Etix.
Life of Agony emerged from the New York music scene in the early ’90s with one of the most distinctive sounds in its genre. Best known for their 1993 hard rock/metal crossover debut “River Runs Red” (Roadrunner Records), named one of the “100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time” by Rolling Stone, the band instantly built a diehard, cult following.
For nearly three decades, the Brooklyn-based group toured relentlessly all over the world, sharing stages with the biggest names in rock, including Metallica, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Foo Fighters, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Life of Agony – Mina Caputo (lead vocals), Joey Zampella (guitar), Alan Robert (bass), and Veronica Bellino (drums) – has sold over one million albums to date.
With six studio albums under their belt, including “Ugly” (1995) and “Soul Searching Sun” (1997) for Roadrunner Records, “Broken Valley” for Sony/Epic Records in 2005 (produced by Greg Fidelman of Slipknot and Metallica fame), and “A Place Where There’s No More Pain” (2017) via Napalm Records, LoA released the hard-hitting, emotional concept album “The Sound of Scars” in 2019, also on Napalm. The record received critical acclaim and was named “Album of the Year” by The Aquarian and the No. 1 album on Metal Hammer’s “Best of 2019: Alternative Rock/Punk” list. It was produced by Sylvia Massy (Tool, System of a Down), along with LoA guitarist Joey Z (mixing duties helmed by Massy), and mastered by Howie Weinberg (Nirvana, Metallica, Soundgarden).
“The Sound of Scars” continues the haunting narrative from the band’s groundbreaking 1993 debut “River Runs Red.” They filmed a chaotic, high-energy video for the lead-off track “Scars” with director Leigh Brooks of Firebelly Films.
“By far, this is the best Life of Agony record you’ve heard in years,” Zampella emphasized.
“We really went back to our roots on this one and tapped into the mindset we had when we first started the band.”
A full-length feature film documentary based on the lives of the three core members of the group, also titled “The Sound of Scars,” was presented at the Cannes Film Festival by Toronto-based genre specialist Raven Banner. The 2021 film received universal praise from the media and fans alike. Kerrang raved about its “unflinching” take on family with a five-star review, and the BBC’s Jennie Kermode called it “a highly accomplished piece of work… a story full of pain and struggle.”
The official synopsis reads: “The story of three lifelong friends who overcame domestic violence, substance abuse, and depression to form Life of Agony, one of the most influential bands in its genre, led by the very first openly transgender singer. Through the success of their groundbreaking 1993 debut ‘River Runs Red,’ hailed by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest metal albums of all time, they channeled their cumulative life stories into a soundtrack for a broken generation. This newfound fame allowed them to suppress the tragedies of their pasts, but in the wake of their accomplishments, unforeseen obstacles arose.”
See NEPA Scene’s photos of Life of Agony performing with Dog Eat Dog at the Sherman Theater in 2022 here.
Photo by Jason Riedmiller Photography/NEPA Scene
