The niche subgenre of Experimental Death Metal is an odd beast that can go either way in terms of quality. At one end of the spectrum is Ad Nauseam, who have perfected using unconventional and ugly sounds to create phenomenal listening experiences. At the other end of the spectrum, there are bands such as Zvylpwkua, who don’t come off as much other than annoying. So where does Plague Rider fit in this rather broad spectrum? A UK act, featuring members of Dybbuk, the now defunct Live Burial, and other projects, this group makes weird Death Metal heavily influenced by like-minded contemporaries Diskord, Ulthar, and at times even the maestros of madness themselves, Ad Nauseam. Plague Rider have the “weird DM” credentials in spades, but there’s something not quite right with their strange brew.
Despite what doesn’t sit well with me on Intensities, the drum and vocal performances have a lot to offer. Watts’ vocal performance sickens me in the best way; his unhinged, demented rasps on key tracks cementing some of my favorite album moments (“The Refrain”, “Challenger’s Lecture”). Henderson also has a phenomenal performance: being extraordinarily technical yet never too much, his drumming is masterful with the various fills and what feels like improvised sections throughout, with album highlights “Toil” and “Challenger’s Lecture” being major standouts that do a great job showing off his and the rest of the band’s strengths. The production is another highlight, letting each instrument breathe in the mix, but this solid production cannot save the album from the various pitfalls it unfortunately faces. For one, Intensities is a smidge too long. Songs here are compelling but once they reach past the eight minute mark, they start to become less so. It also doesn’t help that the other main issue compounds the long songs: ending with whooshing ambient segues, which kill any sense of momentum or energy these songs showed, particularly on the ending, with the last couple minutes of “Without Organs” being ambience. Criticisms aside, Intensities is a strong debut in the Experimental Death Metal style that has yet to absquatulate from my wanting ears, and hopefully Plague Rider will continue in this style, because I want more.
