Tag: AGENT STEEL

Unstoppable Force is the second full-length album by Los Angeles speed metal band Agent Steel, recorded in March and June 1986 at Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida (with sessions interrupted for a European tour that included dates with Overkill and Anthrax). It was originally released in 1986 on Music for Nations in the UK (MFN 66) and in March 1987 on Combat Records in the US.

After the rawer Skeptics Apocalypse (1985) and the Mad Locust Rising EP, the band refined their sound here: hyper-fast thrash/speed-metal riffs paired with a more melodic structure, dual-guitar leads, and John Cyriis’s distinctive high-register vocals. Lyrics lean heavily into sci-fi and extraterrestrial themes, consistent with the band’s overall concept. It would be their last album with the classic early lineup before internal tensions led to the band’s 1988 breakup.

Lineup

• John Cyriis – vocals
• Juan Garcia – guitars
• Bernie Versailles – guitars
• Michael Zaputil – bass
• Chuck Profus – drums

Additional: Ben Meyer and Nasty Ronnie – backing vocals on “Indestructive” and “Rager.”

Another 80s Thrash Band That Should Have Been Bigger?

Tracklisting

Side A

1.”Unstoppable Force”3:52
2.”Never Surrender”3:52
3.”Indestructive”3:30
4.”Chosen to Stay”4:46
5.”Still Searchin'”

Side B

6.”Rager”4:07
7.”The Day at Guyana” (Instrumental)6:38
8.”Nothin’ Left”4:23
9.”Traveler”3:49

Total length:39:10

Reception

The album balances pure speed with more measured, melodic material. The title track and “Indestructive” are classic Agent Steel assaults, while “Chosen to Stay” and the instrumental “The Day at Guyana” show greater dynamics and technical ambition. “Traveler” closes the record on a more restrained note. Cyriis’s voice (often compared to a more unhinged Rob Halford) is the most polarizing element — high, theatrical, and very much of its time.

The dual guitar work of Garcia and Versailles is sharp throughout, and the production at Morrisound gives the record more clarity and weight than the debut while still retaining an aggressive edge.

Original Pressings

The earliest vinyl release is the 1986 UK Music for Nations pressing (MFN 66). It came with a printed inner sleeve containing lyrics and a thanks list. Matrix numbers typically read MFN-66-A-1 V / MFN-66-B-1 V (with minor variants).

The US Combat Records version (88561-8096-1) followed in 1987 and is the more commonly seen “original” in North America. It includes an inner sleeve and a poster of the cover art.

Other early pressings include the 1986 French Musidisc edition and the 1987 Japanese Victor release (the Japanese CD is notable for including the Judas Priest cover “The Ripper” as a bonus track). Later reissues (Century Media, High Roller, Back On Black) exist, but original 1986/87 vinyl remains the preferred version for most collectors.