Review by Adam M on May 28, 2012.

This is a wild and interesting adventure of an album that evokes the cover art of a jungle type atmosphere with a variety of vibrant colours within the songs themselves. The structures here are of a similar crazy nature to those of a band like Mr. Bungle or what was seen from the recent Sigh opus. It’s not traditional because the songs don’t often have verse and chorus sections that repeat, but go off on different tangents. The song-writing is still relatively tight throughout, though some sections are more memorable and work better than others.

The slight lack of consistency is what prevents this from being an absolute gem of an album, but it’s still excellent nonetheless. If the quality of the album standout 'Exit Strategy Of A Wrecking Ball' was upheld throughout the entire length of the work it would have been greater. That particular song busts out of the gate with a very powerful nature and manage to be a rollicking good time for the entire length. Some of the other songs become too silly at times to ever be as solid as that one. The majority of the album is still an amazingly fun time. The first few tracks are amongst the best on here and set the stage for an album that starts to wander into many different territories throughout. There are many different instruments used to give it this sound like it was created in the jungle. There are also a number of vocal choices ranging from singing to chanting to operatic vocals.

Overall, the originality and energy of this album is what makes "Pandora’s Pinata" worthwhile for fans of Avant-Garde music in general to check out.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 8.5
Production: 8
Originality: 9.5
Overall: 8.5

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Jacobo on March 11, 2005.

If years ago metal was all about experimenting and adding new sounds to the music, today things are just starting to go the opposite direction; it is all about going back to the roots, back to the beginning of extreme metal. And that is why no one will be able to stop the mighty return of thrash, which will soon gain its spiked and beer spilled throne once again.

Scenteria is a newcomer in the thrash scene. They play thrash with melodeath influences, where the goal of the music just follows one simple path: aggression. Doubtless that is why the band decided to name their debut album Art of Aggression.

Art of Aggression is full of traditional hyper fast thrash riffs mixed with some modern ones ala The Haunted, Impious and Hatesphere. The melodic death metal influence comes mainly, as with many bands, from the mighty At The Gates.

One thing that really got my attention is the drumming; it is extremely tight and heavy, especially in the drum-kick department, it’s nearly flawless. The production is aggressive, giving you the opportunity to hear what every player is doing. A bit muddy and raw, it gives a little extra to the overall sound.

Art of Aggression is a very decent thrash record that will keep you banging your head for hours. If these guys were able to release such a strong debut, I can’t wait to see what they have in store for their sophomore release. I think that Karmageddon Media had this in mind when signing Scenteria. They knew their debut album would be very good one, but they also invested in what these guys will unleash in the near future. If you don’t believe me, just give “Forever Lost,” “Addicted” and “Acts of Lunacy” a try. Blood will come out of the walls!

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 8
Originality: 3
Overall: 8

Rating: 7.2 out of 10