Plague 9Mr Ass

Taken at face value, Adelaide band Plague 9’s debut EP doesn’t present itself that well, with a cringe-worthy title that summons up visions of heavy metal wannabes with bad mullets and hand-me-down battle jackets trying too hard to be offensive with weak, juvenile songs.

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Thankfully however, Plague 9 instantly dispel any such fears by ploughing right into straight-up old school metal that could have come directly from the late 1980s. Each track is riddled with savage and catchy riffs and filled out with the blazing solos of David Hone. Devon Smith’s wild, untrained singing style only adds further authenticity to the band’s enthusiastic and energetic heavy metal.

Each track is riddled with savage and catchy riffs and filled out with the blazing solos

Opener Stuck in Hell shows plenty of promise, introducing itself with a heavy guitar throb building into a succession of hook-ridden riffs and Smith’s shouty, almost tuneless vocals but Mr Ass gets better with each track. Criminal Justice powers along with a galloping pace and cross-cutting, thrash-tinged riffs, Flavour of the Weak is looser, with the shouted gang vocal giving it a punkier edge. Feed It is an all-out metal assault that gets as close to thrash metal as they have come so far, but Plague 9 leave their best until last. On Mr Ass, they dial back the healthy pace of the rest of the EP for a slower, more epic chug that calls to mind the heavy plod of Candlemass, making their tour through 80s textbook metal as complete as possible. 

With solid playing and good songs, Plague 9 have delivered an enjoyable debut that won’t be put aside easily.

STANDOUT TRACKS: Mr Ass, Feed It, Criminal Justice
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Metal Church, Death Angel, Forbidden