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The Plague Symphony album review by Toxic Pete
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
Posted on 17 Jan 2007 by TDKYD
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