There was an old Music For Nations compilation record many years ago called Hell Comes To Your House. I saw a copy on Ebay the other day. Circle Of Darkness is surely the soundtrack to what happens if Hell does pitch up in the front room for a cuppa and a digestive. With the likes of TBDM’s Trevor Strnad amongst their fans you know that there is something a bit special here. Plague Years are Tim Engelhardt – Vocals, Eric Lauder – Guitar, Rian Staber – Bass and Mike Jurysta – Drums.
The Detroit quartet are one of the most explosive outfits I’ve heard for years. Their music is a face-melting blend of old school death metal, aggressive thrash, and elements of cross over which combine to assault the senses with such force that it’s almost impossible to get up from your seat. Having been pinned to the floor by the opening salvo of Play The Victim, there was no respite from the following duo, Witness Hell and Paradox Of Death. Despite the slightly slower pace of the former song, the sheer weight of the riffing meant that any hope of lifting my head was dashed. Instead I remained in a crouched position, sheltering from the constant barrage that Plague Years spewed forth.
Ample blackened death, mid-tempo changes which crush bones, Plague Years summon the spirits of numerous legends. There’s the Germanic power of Kreator and Sodom, the old school feel of Slowly We Rot Era Obituary and early Sepultura, the freshness of Power Trip and the drive of Skeletal Remains and The Black Dahlia Murder. All this combines into a cesspit of brutality that is both punishing and inspirational. The eruption that kicks off on the title track also invokes the style of crossover standard bearers Iron Age and D.R.I. It’s simply as aggressive and ferocious as you’d demand. Relentless down-tuned death metal with the bristling fire of thrash. What’s not to like? 9/10
Various Artists: The Dirt Redux (Magnetic Eye Records) [Matt Bladen]
Magnetic Eye Records have been doing a Redux series for a while now and the latest album to be given the treatment is Seattle grungers Alice In Chains' seminal album The Dirt. Featuring such classics as Them Bones, Dam That River, Down In A Hole, Rooster, Angry Chair and Would it stands up today as one of THE albums of the entire grunge era and made Alice In Chains a household name. However you've probably never heard the album like this, these odes to drug addiction and inner darkness are probably much more 'real' than ever before as they are brought to life here by the cream of the sludge/doom/stoner scene. It means that every track has a sound of its own depending on the style of the band in question.
Things open with the crushing sounds of Thou giving Them Bones some rawness and rage with their extreme sludge sound, Dam This River has the post-metal wooziness from Low Flying Hawks as it slips into High Priests more traditional take on Rain When I Die the first song with clean vocals as US classic doomsters Khemmis slow Down In A Hole into a colossal doom monster. It's interesting how well these tracks translate into the doom/stoner/sludge sounds showing that grunge was an instrumental part of people discovering the more miserable side of music which has long influenced this more extreme underground side.
Howling Void have a groove Rooster, Somnuri bring a Middle Eastern flavour to the title track while Southern stoners Backwoods Payback play God Smack straight up. Finally you get Swedish stoners Vokonis moving away from Lovecraftian horror for a noisy Angry Chair while The Otolith (ex-Subrosa) bring about an ominous end with Would. If you're an AIC fan you may find this a little bit like sacrilege but if you want an intriguing, heavy take take on a classic album then this may be something to check out. 7/10
Fight The Fight: Deliverance (Indie Recordings) [Paul Hutchings]
Another band who I know nothing about, Fight The Fight is a four-piece Norwegian groove metal outfit whose second album Deliverance opens with the title track in feisty style. Big groove-ridden riffs, pumping rhythm section and ample time changes rage underneath the vocal delivery of Lars Vegas (yeah okay) which is jarring and disconcerting. As a track Deliverance feels a little disjointed and a little unsure in direction. It doesn’t get much better on the second track, Ritual, with the vocals once more a confused mix of screamo, metal core and cleans which have all the attraction of nails down the blackboard. Musically, the band take their influences from a wide range of styles. There’s a bit of the funk of Faith No More, the industrial grind of Fear Factory and maybe a bit of Marilyn Manson.
The boisterous Triggerfinger is dominated by a pulsing bass line which provides opportunity for the band to explore a little, but it really is struggling to make a clear statement. I want music to grab my attention, pull me towards it and nut me in the face. Despite the aggression and driving riffing, I found this album had all the direction of a one-legged duck. Not sure of their target, they instead created a mixture of sounds which confused, bewildered, and bemused. At 58 minutes this was too much for me. It’s rare I give up early but these dates I’m willing to form an opinion after five tracks. Fight The Fight did nothing for me and if my emotions don’t at least flicker, then I’m too old to waste my time. Sorry. 4/10
Contagium: Chronicles Of Carnage (Vargheist Records) [Matt Bladen]
Nine songs, 30 minutes and no quarter given Chronicles Of Carnage is a raw and primitive slab of death metal from New Hampshire. It's noisy and hectic, the analog sounding production really giving it a brutality not felt since the early days of the genre. Things occasionally slow into crushing grooves, with The Rigors Of Mortis opens with some doomy phrases but mostly you get foot to the floor rapid death metal with indecipherable grunts and explosive kick drumming. If you can recall the early Deicide records then Contagium will appeal as you get the same desire to start a pit no matter where you are. Yes it's pretty standard stuff but if extremity is your thing then there's worse ways to spend half an hour. 5/10
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