I've been wanting to review Agent Steel's Earth Under Lucifer EP for quite sometime now. It's actually a limited edition EP that came out back in 2003, about six months after the Order Of The Illuminati LP was released. I've had a hard time trying to track a copy down but thanks to a sale at The End Records, I finally lucked out. One of the reasons I finally purchased Earth Under Lucifer is due to an awesome sale The End Records is having until 9/26. They have over 1000 titles available at some excellent bargain prices!. Some titles are between $1 to $5, and others $5.01 to $10. After you read this review, it's in your best interest to visit their site (a link is located towards the bottom of this review).

Earth Under Lucifer EP contains four tracks: the studio title track Earth Under Lucifer, (which is actually the third track from the Order Of The Illuminati LP), and three live tracks recorded in 2003: (Mad Locust Rising, Unstoppable Force and Agents of Steel).

The main reason I wanted to buy this EP in the first place was for the live tracks. I was really curious as to how new vocalist Bruce Hall would sound singing the material that was originally sung by former Agent Steel vocalist John Cyriis. The end result is phenomenal!. Bruce Hall sounds fantastic and handles the Cyriis material with ease. Hall injects a new energy into the older material and the band sounds as tight as ever. Hall has a range that is equal to or better than Cyriis and is not as annoying when it comes to the shrieking high pitched vocal parts. Hall is also more dynamic with his vocals compared to Cyriis when it comes to singing in the lower ranges. Hall can sound a bit rough when he wants to. He is a perfect fit for Agent Steel. Just check out the three studio releases he appears on: (Omega Conspiracy, Order Of The Illuminati and their newest one, Alienigma, due on Sept. 25th, 2007...a review to come very soon!).

I only have a few minor disappointments with this EP. Although the live recordings are very good, the guitars are a tad low in the mix for my tastes. Their compressed tone could be the reason why. The drums, bass and vocals stand out a bit more and slightly overshadow the fantastic guitar playing and intricate guitar riffs within the songs. The guitars can be heard though. As with any twin guitar attack band format, especially when it comes to technical thrash metal bands, it's just my preference that the guitars are the driving force behind the music and should always be at the forefront of the final mix. Also, I wish Agent Steel would release a full length live CD. At the time the Earth Under Lucifer EP was released, Agent Steel had four full length albums and one other EP under their belts; plenty of material available in my opinion for a full length live CD. For those fans itching for live material, there are a few live DVD's available: Mad Locust Rising (which is a show from 1987 featuring John Cyriis on vocals and contains nine tracks) and Live @ Dynamo Open Air (recorded in 2004 with vocalist Bruce Hall and contains eight tracks).

The Earth Under Lucifer EP was well worth the $7.49 I paid for it! Agent Steel proves that they are better band now than they were back in the late 80's and continue to help carry the flag of California Bay Area Technical Thrash Metal!