The Pitch: Polish black/death metallers Northern Plague deliver their sophomore album Scorn the Idle via Folter Records after several high profile tours with the likes of Azarath, Vader, and Decapitated. FFO In Twilight's Embrace, Tribulation
What I Like: I was initially drawn in by the sheer intensity of opening track "Blindsight," but there is a little more here than what initially meets the eye. Northern Plague seem to be interested in being more than just the latest black and death metal band out of a country well-known for the genre. Rather than cashing in on the highly recognizeable (and highly copied) Behemoth sound, Scorn The Idle takes some interesting and unexpected turns; the wandering and somewhat dreamlike "The Day After" for instance. For every super-heavy moment like "Man of Glass," there is a spacey interlude and just a dab of experimentation; plenty of rock guitar solos too. And all of this is held together by the ominous and commanding black metal vocals of Fenris.
Critiques: A few of these tracks are comparatively dull. "Vainglory Altar," already has a tough job following up one of the high points of the album, but even on its own is pretty uninteresting. "Workphetamine" and "Drowned" aren't much better.
The Verdict: Scorn The Idle is, in truth, an uneven album by my own account. However, I have much faith in this band given the high points and I look forward to hearing them take their sound a step further on the next one. In any case, you can check out Northern Plague on Spotify and wherever else you stream your music.
Flight's Fav's: Blindsght, Man of Glass, Versus the World
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