f you’ve not heard Bearer of the Darkest Plagues (Baars Records) from Philadelphia bruisers BLASPHEMOUS, then you’ve done yourself a serious disservice. This is memorable U.S. black metal with a death metal punch and easily one of the best examples of the style you’ll hear in 2010. Distinguishing itself from the scores of one-trick pony USBM albums that bog down in a blur of one-dimensional songwriting and middling musicianship, Bearer of the Darkest Plague succeeds smashingly with an approach that is equal parts brain and brawn. Ironclad, coarse-toned riffs and impacting solos supported by a thick ‘n thunderous rhythm section and led by the raspy bark of vocalist RK, the 10 tracks here impact with front-to-back compositional diversity that leaves a lasting impression and hits with an unmitigated savagery befitting of Philadelphia’s rough and tumble streets.
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