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By JEFF MAKI
SoCal's Winds of Plague is a sextet that molds several styles of metal and hardcore. Think of them as a darker, more death metal version of Bleeding Through. This is their sophomore release and first for Century Media. Their debut, A Cold Day In Hell, was released in 2005 on Recourse Records. The band seems to have roots in hardcore, though those roots are lost within Scandinavian black metal, death metal vocals and the massive guitar harmonies. All-too-common breakdowns litter the effort, except these breakdowns are some of the heaviest low-end that your poor little ears will hear. They slither at a snail's pace, warbling your speakers. It's like when a scene in a film breaks into super slow motion. It is truly unique and actually one of the sticking points of Winds of Plague.
The band is all over the place in style. The title track and “Unbreakable” are similar to Polish blackened death metaller, Behemoth, due to the rapid death-vocal delivery and brutality. But throw in a little hardcore and that's when Winds of Plague is at its best. Both “Decimate the Weak” and “Angels of Debauchery” transform in this nature, allowing Winds of Plague to sound their most serious and lethal. Then there's the hardcore anthem “Reloaded.” This song sounds completely different from anything else on the album. It doesn't even sound like the same band. I would've guessed any number of artists from the Trustkill Records roster had I not known. The keyboards performed by Matt Fineman are a classical style and symphonic. And because the production here is top-notch (Tue Madsen), the keyboards sound even more prominent.
Decimate the Weak is an extremely dark album. With a name like Winds of Plague, what would you expect? However, this is another band that would strengthen itself by concentrating on one particular style. The album is coherent, which is becoming a huge feat recently, but a lack of focus holds it back from being truly powerful. Still, Winds of Plague lays down a devastating sound and at times is capable of leaving listeners in awe. I hope this band sticks around long enough because they have great promise. |
