Full KERRANG Review of The Plague Symphony 'The Black Gate'
KKKK
COVENTRY GIVES BIRTH TO A DEATHLY MONSTER.
THERE'S A world of difference between real death metal and the wonky haircut-sporting fly-by-night facsimile that clogs up MySpace. The Plague Symphony are, thankfully, the real deal and they may just be precisely the shot in the arm that the Britsh scene needs. Unrefined, filthy and relentlessly bleak, 'The Black Gate' oozes purity of malicious intent and, despite its rawness, skilfully conjures up the spirit of pioneers like Morbid Angel and Immolation, with a bonus dose of primitive black metal's hateful harshness. Fast when it needs to be, slow and twisted when it doesn't, this is neither polished nor precise, but it's fucking fantastic all the same.
DOWNLOAD: 'Siege On The Outpost'
FOR FANS OF: Immolation, Behemoth.
Dom Lawson
The Plague Symphony - 'The Black Gate' review by toxicpete
Cor blimey!! I suppose I shouldn't be surprised though, the name, The Plague Symphony and album title 'The Black Gate' contain all the clues you need. This is mind-numbing, ear-wax melting, sinus clearing metal at its most vicious.
The press info says "...brutal, grinding powerhouse of metal. They mix death metal, grind & hardcore resulting in a devastating onslaught to the aural senses." They're not kiddin' either - this is a heavy monster in the heaviest sense!
Is it a short album? Or, is it a long EP? Or, maybe it's a mini-album - I'm not too sure. In less than eighteen minutes and just seven short tracks, The Plague Symphony have started to peel the wallpaper from the room I'm in, the cat's done a runner and the neighbours have put up 'for sale' signs. Oh yes, this is that devastating and as black as it gets really. Musically these dudes can't be faulted - solidly tight, electrically charged and adrenalin fuelled. Vocally, well I don't actually know how these people do it - and it's so difficult to make constructive comments at all. Suffice to say that this guy has a voice to match all-comers (within the genre!).
I still can't quite come to terms completely with the 'vocal' delivery within this genre; lyrics written and carefully thought out only to be ranted and grunted into the mic and often lost within the confines of the ear-splitting instrumentation. But hey, that's rock 'n' roll - isn't it? Seriously though, these guys from Coventry deliver some superb stuff; there's an abundance of well thunked out riffs running riot over and through the dark landscape of a well tight rhythm section.
So, if death metal/grind/hardcore is what you get off on, 'The Black Gate' from The Plague Symphony would make a great Xmas present (don't leave it under the tree though, it's likely to self-combust!). If not, you'd probably do well to miss it off your presents list.
www.toxicpete.co.uk
..> | The Plague Symphony - 'The Black Gate' review by Concreteweb The Devil Knows You're Dead Records ' third release is, again, from a Coventry-based band. The Plague Symphony is a quintet that releases this mini-album (total running time: 17:33 ) with a morbid grin on their face, I guess. After the industrialised intro " Storming The Black Gate ", Daniel Dixon (grunts, screams, throat and growls + lyrics), guitar players Daniel Mills (who also composed the intro) and Andrew Slattery , drummer Jamie Ivis and bass player Lee Barnett show what The Plague Symphony stand for: a brutal, grinding 'powerhouse' of Metal. The quintet mixes mostly fast old school Death Metal with grinding eruptions and deadly, devastating low-tempo bombast, a sound quality that refers to the old school and an atmosphere that, indeed, also exhales a touch of old school madness and darkness. I especially like the equilibrium between a primitive, almost low-budget approach and the freshness of 'old school-inspired' material in a pretty modern jacket. This is technical-chaotic supremacy from Grindopia.
77,777/100
Ivan Tibos.
www.concreteweb.be |
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The Plague Symphony's debut record seems to be a worthy full-length, but in fact it's just a twenty minute EP (intro included). The CD has some very nice and dark artwork done by Cris Narcosis (who did artwork for bands like Necrophagist and Brutal Truth). It all begins with a very atmospheric intro, which turns out to stand in great contrast with the rest of the CD when the first song 'Path of Peril' commences.
For a band with such a professional way of presenting themselves, the production is very mediocre. I'd say take the money from the artwork and invest it in a better sounding production. Anyway, lets try to ignore the fuzzy black metal sound and focus on the music, for that turns out to be not that bad at all. The Plague Symphony plays a very heavy mix of hardcore, death metal and grindcore. Don't worry, it ain't a metalcore band for sure; think more in the direction of i.e. The Black Dahlia Murder, but then just a tad darker.
According to the band, some of their other influences are Necrophagist, Decapitated and Dimmu Borgir. I can follow the band here quite well; hyper-speedy and technical, but always minding the overall groove. De vocals are strong and the guitarists use nice
sweep-solos to show us their capabilities. The only thing left to say is that the production is a crying shame and the record is over before you can say "grindcoreiswonderfullfuckingmusic". I feel that the band could have done way better.
Rating: 73/100
http://www.lordsofmetal.nl/
Sunderland gig review - 09/01/06 "They may be far from home tonight, but the brutal, grinding powerhouse of metal, that is The Plague Symphony, wastes no time in winning over the assembled masses with their dark, blasting mix of death metal, grind and hardcore.
Hammering through a set that goes from strength to strength with each song, their razor-sharp guitars and throat-shredding vocals set off a frenzy of headbanging.
Unfortunately, just as the band reach their peak, their all-too-short 20 minute set comes to a close, leaving the audience surprised and begging for more.
One thing is certain: tonight The Plague Symphony infected Sunderland."
- Viking, Roadkill Promotions
www.roadkillpromotions.com