Plague of the Ungodly - Innate Human Logic

Discovering California’s Plague of the Ungodly was quite exciting. This one-man project just dropped their sophomore LP in June 2023, and it’s a huge improvement on their 2012 debut. Originally claiming to hail from Antarctica, which i find rather odd, Plague of the Ungodly is a progressive death metal project that is currently unsigned, and focuses on Christian lyrical themes - which as fans of groups such as Crimson Thorn should know, is not necessarily a detriment when it comes to heaviness and balls-to-the-wall riffage.

Plague of the Ungodly have some clear influences at times, with the album opener, Haunted by Hatred, having a section that sounds somewhat reminiscent of the chorus from Death’s Spirit Crusher, not a bad band to be inspired by if you’re within the Progressive Death Metal genre. Around the middle of the album, Beautiful Lividity features a crushing galloping section that forcibly ups the pace and forces you to bang your head. In Their Father’s Wake also merits mention, and is perhaps the standout of the album for me, with clean guitar sections really adding to the dynamic of the band’s sound, slowing things down before powering back in after a solemn sounding solo.

The majority of tracks on the 30-minute record make heavy use of tremolo picking and descending chromatic riffs, allowing for a blend of Slayer, Death and Immolation, though unfortunately not feeling as unique as either of those bands - that would be a very tall task though. The guitar work is very much the standout of the album, and you can tell that’s the main instrument for the sole member. There are plenty of memorable riffs present, and when the guitar is played clean as well it sounds awesome, such as in the intro to Omen of Torna, which also introduces strings to really round out the sound. If every song sounded as powerful as Omen of Torna or In Their Father’s Wake, we’d have a real killer album on our hands, but unfortunately some of it sounds a bit like filler.

Be forewarned, Plague of the Ungodly also utilises a drum machine, which hurts the overall sound of the record, drum patterns aren’t overly complex, but they keep the music trudging along throughout the runtime. There are some interesting bass parts littered within, but they tend to follow the guitars for the majority. Vocally, Plague of the Ungodly is fine, it’s nothing to write home about really, and none of the songs have any particularly memorable vocal moments , even when the riffs feel like they’d be perfect for a catchier hook akin to Death’s Lack of Comprehension or Cannibal Corpse’s Kill or Become.

You may not finish spinning this LP humming the vocal patterns, but you might be inspired to pick your guitar up and learn a few of the cooler riffs. I think it’ll be interesting to watch PotU grow, and hopefully we don’t have to wait another decade for a third album to come around. It’s not a masterpiece, but shows potential, and a few tracks have found their way onto my playlists as a result.

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For more on Plague of the Ungodly, visit the following links: Instagram | Spotify | Bandcamp