Life of Agony (or LoA ) is an alternative metal band from Brooklyn, New York.

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History

The band was formed in the summer of 1989 by singer Keith Caputo, bassist Alan Robert and guitarist Joey Z. After playing with several drummers, they enlisted Type O Negative drummer Sal Abruscato before recording the debut album River Runs Red (1993) after they signed to Roadrunner Records.

River Runs Red was followed by the more emotional Ugly (1995), but drummer Abruscato left Life of Agony after the accompanying tour. His successor was ex-Pro-Pain & ex-Crumbsuckers skinsman Dan Richardson.

Vocalist Caputo departed the band following the release of Soul Searching Sun (1997). He claimed his heart was no longer in the type of music Life of Agony produced. The band then toured with ex-Ugly Kid Joe singer Whitfield Crane and went back into the studio, kicked Whitfield Crane out of the band, contemplated moving Alan Robert to vocals, only to realize they did not want to continue under the Life of Agony banner without Caputo. In 1999 they decided to split. A live CD with LoA's unplugged performance at the Dutch Lowlands Festival from 1997 was released in 2000.

On January 3 and 4 2003, the original line-up reunited for two sold-out shows at New York's Irving Plaza. Both shows were recorded, and released on CD/DVD later that same year. The reunion resulted in several more shows and appearances on European festivals, as well as the recording of 2005's Broken Valley , the band's first new material since 1997.

Life of Agony also toured with Megadeth, Dream Theater, and numerous other metal bands during 2005's Gigantour. Three years after their tour in 2005, Life of Agony released a CD/DVD set for River Runs Red with bonus tracks and videos from their early career.

Most recently, Keith Caputo is featured on the track "What Have You Done," from the band Within Temptation. The song has been a minor hit all around the world.

Music

According to the group members themselves, they were influenced by bands as diverse as Radiohead, Metallica, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, and Social Distortion.

Caputo and Robert write all of the songs, but they had never written songs together before Soul Searching Sun. Up until then, Robert wrote the majority of the music and lyrics and Caputo wrote select ballads, mostly about his parents and homelife, particularly his mother.

Perhaps the most striking difference between the River Runs Red and Ugly albums of the mid-90s and 2005's Broken Valley is the change in Keith Caputo's vocal style, which gradually changed from a Danzig-esque baritone to a lighter, more conventional rock style later in the band's career.

The band continues to perform and make music together as well as pursuing individual projects. Caputo recorded several solo records with European musicians and has toured overseas to support those albums. The band is currently putting the finishing touches on a new DVD from their 2007 European tour.

Robert, Life of Agony's primary songwriter, started Spoiler NYC in 2006. The group recorded an album called Grease Fire in Hell's Kitchen . Many reviewers praised the old-school approach to their street punk sound. Member Joey Z. currently performs in Peter Steele's reunited New York group Carnivore.

"River Runs Red" was used in "Initiation", a 2006 episode of The Office .

Lawsuit

While touring in 1995 in support of their album, "Ugly", a fan died after falling from the stage while apparently trying to stage-dive. A security guard and, to a lesser extent, the band were implicated in a lawsuit which was eventually dropped with no charges filed. At subsequent concerts the band were mindful of the potential for fans to injure themselves, often trying to cool down the mosh pit between songs if things were rough. An example of this can be seen on the River Runs Again DVD, in which, Keith Caputo is heard saying "Everybody watch over each other out in the pit, we already lost a life." and "No lives lost, right?"

Present

At present, it appears that there is nothing new on the horizon for LOA. Although the group recently finished a European tour, there is no new material in the works. However, each of the four original members of LOA are currently working on solo projects of their own. Keith recently released a solo album entitled "A Fondness for Hometown Scars" which hit #88 on the Dutch Top 100 Albums Chart. Bassist Alan Robert started a punk band called "Spoiler NYC." Joey Z opened the "Method of Groove Studio" in Brooklyn New York. Finally, drummer Sal Abruscato put together a new band called "My Mortality."

The fans of Life of Agony still hold out hopes that they will work together again to put out some new material.

Discography

Year	Album Title	Type
1993	River Runs Red	Studio album
1995	Ugly	Studio album
1997	Soul Searching Sun	Studio album
1999	1989-1999	Compilation album
2000	Unplugged at the Lowlands Festival '97	Live album
2005	Broken Valley	Studio album