Plague Throat are a living proof that Metal music thrives in the underground. Despite your shortcomings and limitations, if you carry enough firepower in your music, you will get heard no matter what. How else do you explain a band from one of the tiniest state in India garner so much respect in the Indian Extreme Metal scene. Formed in 2008, the band had to wait for five long years to finally erupt into the Indian scene like an angry volcano with their debut EP ‘An Exordium to Contagion’. Their debut EP has gone a long way to cement them as one of the most exciting Death Metal bands from India and also one of the best live acts. From playing to a crowd of not more than 200 people to playing more than 20,000 at 2014’s Wacken Open Air, it leaves me beyond doubt that this band has truly arrived.
Plague Throat are a trio from Shillong in India and on 30th May they will be releasing their debut album ‘The Human Paradox’ via Transcending Obscurity Records. They play Brutal Death Metal and their sound neatly slips into the genre creating a sound that balances belligerence and groove.
The excitement in me was palpable as I was about to push the play button on “Inherited Failure”, the opening track on this album. Instantly, a groove laden hook thundered into my cochleas steadily accompanied by a rumbling double bass. My face broke into a smile as the track steadily plods along, teasing me as it starts revealing itself, before Nangsan’s deathly growl wipes that smile into a scowling grimace. An unexpected breakdown throws me off guard a bit, but it is truly around the 1 min and 30 seconds mark that I gather myself and bang my head mercilessly to this monstrous opening. Drummer Malice thoroughly impresses with a tight crispy work behind the kit as Nangsan entangles you in his web of Death Metal riffage on this strong opener.
“Dominion Breach” immediately follows it up unleashing a barrage of blast beats that will make you get up and move. The track mixes the slower groove laden parts amazingly well with the throat ripping Death Metal riffage. The track has a distinct technical overtone to it with swift twists and turns peppered with amazing fills on the drums. Jerry’s bass is well heard in the mix and amplifies the percussive sound of the band nicely. The dynamic rhythm section reaches new levels on tracks like “Corporeal” and the title track “The Human Paradox”. “Corporeal” especially, is a two and a half minute monster that you can take sitting down. It is sure to be the crowd pleaser when played live and I can imagine people windmill headbanging to bass and the rhythm interplay on this track. “Conflict Resolution” gives the band a Thrash Metal avatar as it starts before shape shifting to a Death Metal monster. It is one of my favorite tracks on the album and sums up the sound of the band perfectly. The album closes with the simplistic yet ultra groovy ‘Ma Nga’ which is a nice deviation from the compositions heard so far. The rhythm section, the solo and the tribal drum beat towards the end round up the album perfectly and give it a fitting end.
‘The Human Paradox’ sounds much more technical and doesn’t rely too much on breakdowns as compared to their debut EP. Even on the production front, the band sounds massive and fuller which is in sharp contrast to the hollowed-drums, bass-heavy sound on the EP.
Plague Throat are off to a monstrous start with their debut album ‘The Human Paradox’. The band delivers a hard hitting Death Metal record that is as relentless as it can be. It is a bludgeoning piece of music that is simply hard to put down.
