Indian Death Metal band PLAGUE THROAT are set to release their debut full-length The Human Paradox on May 30 through Transcending Obscurity India. Now, up until about two years ago I had no idea there was this much awesome extreme metal coming from that region. Props to my good friends Kunal and Moni for opening my eyes to a whole new world of heavy, heavy goodness with bands like THIRD SOVEREIGN and EXALTER. Well now we can add PLAGUE THROAT to this ever-growing list of groups I’m loving right now.
They are brutal as fuck, but they are also technically adept, so they straddle that line perfectly on songs like “Fallible Transgression” and opener ‘Inherited Failure.” I mean, yeah they might cave in your skull, but they’ll also do it while showing off some broad, sweeping solos in the process, which is always cool. “Dominion Breach” is the sonic equivalent of me throwing a cinder block through your goddamn living room window. It’ll get your attention real quick, which is exactly what this tune does.
The title track is an instrumental and definitely one of the more tech death songs on the disc, and there’s so much going on with the drums it might make you dizzy. But this is the kind of song you can blast loud and clear on your morning commute; if that doesn’t wake you up then I don’t know WHAT will! “Hour of Darkness” once again shows how well these boys can kick ass when they need to and “Corporeal” is a short-but-sweet pummeler that had me wanting to put someone face first through a plate glass window (shut up, I’m seeing a therapist, OK?)
“Truth In Silence” was definitely one of my favorites from the first listen because I could just feel the rhythm section pounding me right in the chest, while “Conjection Subjection” hits hard enough to make your head spin. And oh sweet Satan, the fucking riff on “Conflict Resolution” reminded me of DECAPITATED and gave me a musical stickytip for sure! Closing the disc is “Ma Nga” which is very different from all the other songs in its arrangement and delivery, but you know what? It works. It fits. And it’s a fucking great song!
Look, at the end of the day PLAGUE THROAT have delivered one mother of a Death Metal record with The Human Paradox. They are excellent musicians, and they know how to write songs that will keep extreme metalheads like me coming back for more, probably for years and years. It’s a shame bands like this just can’t up and fly to the U.S. for a tour without putting themselves in a financial hole, because I guaran-fucking-tee they’d have everyone whipped into a frenzy and moshing like there’s no tomorrow if they did.
STANDOUT TRACKS: “Truth In Silence”, “Corporeal”, “The Human Paradox”, “Dominion Breach”, “Conflict Resolution”
RATING: 9/10
