Bryan Eckermann wasn’t a name that was known to me until this came along. Billed as melodeath / black metal, “Plague Bringers” is listed as being for fans of, amongst others, Arch Enemy, Old Mans Child, Hypocrisy, Death, King Diamond, Agathodaimon, Mors Principium Est and Carach Angren. So far, so interesting. I looked further into Mr Eckermann’s cv, imagining that he might be part of a bigger band I know. This isn’t the case, but to my surprise “Plague Bringers” is his 8th album release.
The opener “Ice Queen” is a bit of everything – an atmospheric intro, followed by an explosive burst into the world of Mors Principium Est and some guitar gymnastics. I didn’t like the switch from intro to thrash-death as it’s two distinct things but both are ok. “Sands of the Hourglass” is deeper and more epic. There’s plenty of pomp and melody and triggering drums in all this, not to mention a descent into the abyss which fits Mr E’s gravelly voice nicely. But wait, it turns symphonic. Too much, too much but I imagine it was fun to create. A quieter passage leads to flamboyance and more pomp. “The Devouring Sun” starts with theatrical horror before we go off on a heavy black symphonic march. I’d come to realise that a couple of minutes of build-up is obligatory, before we get down to business. The business itself requires some flowery instrumentals – the Arch Enemy influence, maybe. It’s quire hard to get hold of as it seems to be a series of mini sections thrown together like a patchwork quilt. Yet I like the sinister darkness and creepy vibe aided by the cleaner guitar. Thus passed “Reflections in a Dirty Mirror”.
“Moonlight and Frostbite” starts off in customary pompous black metal fashion before breaking into equally customary melodic death and culminating in an enjoyable dark energy spike and a high-pitched power metal vocal by way of a change from the growls. The title song takes us back to dark and melodic death metal and some swirling and nasty guitar work as well as spoken menace. After a ghoulish start, “An Oath of Scrying Souls” is like slowed down Mors Principium Est. Slowed down, deep guitar work is evidently what Mr E likes as “Astral Realms” starts this way, expanding into heavier territory as we go on the march again. As the album progressed, I found it got into more of a groove, one which without being especially theatrical has cobwebs, death and horror written through it. Such is “Skinwalker”. Following on the theme, “Of Death and Decay” begins with creepy bells before intensifying and drawing in the darkest death metal clouds. The guitar work is colourful and varied as ever. The track as a whole is like a mini-opera, finishing symphonically. Classical piano starts off “Tomorrow’s Lie” before bursting into a kind of epic symphonic death and growled beseeching about the “gripping hands of death’s embrace” and such forth in common with the album’s lyrics as a whole. Dramatic it is though, and although typically eclectic in style, “Tomorrow’s Lie” held its grounds in the heights where I felt others were watered down by the shifts in musical direction. All that remained was a strange but interesting and windswept instrumental “Oblivion”.
I felt as if I’d listened to several albums here instead of one. There’s so much going on. The musicianship is accomplished, and I cannot fault the imagination, creativity or intensity. “Plague Bringers” has impressive moments and epic, creepy atmospheres but for me it had a tendency to be too self-indulgent, thus preventing me from being totally drawn in.
(6.5/10 Andrew Doherty)
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