Skeptics Apocalypse

1985 studio album by Agent Steel

Skeptics Apocalypse

Studio album by

Agent Steel

Released

June 1985 (1985-06)

Recorded

December 1984–February 1985^[1]

Studio

Indigo Ranch Studios (Malibu, California)^[2]

Genre

Speed metal^[3]
power metal

Length

30:39

Label

Combat

Producer

Jay Jones

Agent Steel chronology

Skeptics Apocalypse
(1985)

Mad Locust Rising
(1985)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[4]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	6/10^[5]
Rock Hard	9.5/10^[6]

Skeptics Apocalypse is the debut album by American heavy metal band Agent Steel. It was recorded in Los Angeles, California and mastered at Frankort Wayne Studios in Miami, Florida by Tom Coyne from December 1984 to February 1985. The album was released by Combat Records in June 1985 and reissued in 1998 by Century Media Records.

The bonus tracks on the 1998 reissue contains an updated version of "(The Calling)" titled "Calling 98 for Skeptics" and the never before released song "The Unexpected" in live format, both of which are of unknown origin. The latter can be seen and heard on the Mad Locust Rising home video. A second remastered version, released in 2008, contains the two songs, plus a cover version of the Judas Priest song "The Ripper", which was originally featured on the Mad Locust Rising EP.

"144,000 Gone" and "Taken by Force" are re-recordings of songs John Cyriis had previously cut as demos with his pre-Agent Steel outfit Sceptre in 1983. The Sceptre version of "Taken by Force" appears on Metal Massacre IV.

Track listing

Side A
No.	Title	Length
1.	"(The Calling)" (Instrumental)	0:47
2.	"Agents of Steel"	3:04
3.	"Taken by Force"	2:30
4.	"Evil Eye / Evil Minds"	3:04
5.	"Bleed for the Godz"	3:28

Side B
No.	Title	Length
6.	"Children of the Sun"	4:53
7.	"144,000 Gone"	4:32
8.	"Guilty as Charged"	4:58
9.	"Back to Reign"	3:23
Total length:		30:39

1998 Remastered bonus tracks
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Calling 98 for Skeptics"	0:57
2.	"The Unexpected" (live)	5:06
Total length:		36:42

2008 Remastered bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Calling 98 for Skeptics"		0:57
2.	"The Unexpected" (live)		5:06
3.	"The Ripper" (Judas Priest cover)	Glenn Tipton	2:33
Total length:			39:27

Personnel

John Cyriis – lead vocals
Juan Garcia – guitar
Kurt Colfelt – guitar
George Robb – bass
Chuck Profus – drums

Production

Jay Jones – producer
Dean "Goatie" Davis – engineering
Tom Coyne – mastering
Maarten de Boer – lacquer cut
Vickie Miellie, Teresa Trebotic – photography
Ron Breitag – logo design

References

^ AllMusic
^ AllMusic
^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Skeptics Apocalypse - Review". AllMusic. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Agent Steel - Skeptic Apocalypse review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
^ Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 14. ISBN 978-1894959315.
^ Kühnemund, Götz (1985). "Review Album : Agent Steel - Skeptics Apocalypse". Rock Hard (in German). No. 13. Retrieved September 1, 2021.