PLAGUE YEARS have become one of the most promising bands to emerge from the crossover thrash scene in recent years. Whilst other similar bands have lent more into the idea of combining old school thrash with hardcore, they sit much further on the thrash side of the line. Of course, there are some other great bands doing this sound in principle, but PLAGUE YEARS have more of the darker side of thrash in their sound, with some death metal touches and of course, SLAYER.
The All Will Suffer EP comes two years after their first full length release – 2020’s Circle Of Darkness. With high praise from the likes of Metal Injection and the great Trevor Strnad (RIP), this EP is just an extra little taste of what Circle Of Darkness brought you. If you’re familiar with bands like POWER TRIP then you’ll probably know what this sounds like before you hit play, but that’s not important when it’s as satisfying as this.
SLAYER is a reference point in nearly every thing this band does but once again, when the songs are this much fun we’ll take that all day. Whilst the heavier influences separate PLAGUE YEARS from some of the other bands in this scene, the real star of the show is how they use this to give you that adrenaline jolt. Packing more of a punch than their fellow thrash worship contemporaries, the thickness of some of the riffs here just gives the record so much weight. It stops it from feeling like lightweight versions of bands that can’t cut it anymore.
This EP also demonstrates a great ability of knowing when to let the riff off the chain and let it carry the song forward and when to slow that pace down a touch. Stopping each track from becoming one riff that dictates the whole momentum keeps every song exciting and distinctive. This isn’t just worship of SLAYER riffs, there are some great choices in here that keep it feeling full of life.
Whether you’re already ingrained into crossover thrash or maybe haven’t found a way in yet, PLAGUE YEARS are definitely one to check out. All Will Suffer is another great addition to their catalogue which is building a strong stable of tracks and massive riffs.
Rating: 8/10
All Will Suffer is set for release on July 8th via MNRK Heavy.
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