Once Begotten - Plague Of Misanthropy

This five piece blackened death metal band have released their second EP, Plague of Misanthropy. The different way of delivering this album is ingenious, letting the fan decide how much to pay for the four tracks. The five piece have also taken two new members into the fold this year and this EP is also used to highlight the differences from previous members. This could also be referred to as psychotic death metal for the quintet from Amersfoort in the Netherlands.

The album swings from the lighter, thrashier side, to the darker, more hypnotic side with definitive ease. The changes are mainly highlighted by the introduction of the deep, growly gravelly lyrics interspersed with screeches and inhuman sounding screams. The guitarists are at the forefront of the album, and are the main instrumental behind the lyrics, specifically when the vocals start or start to drop off. The drumming is not as clear but can be heard as a backbeat in places.

This album is nowhere near as dark as other of the genre and definitely fits more into psychotic black metal than its blackened sub-generic term. The shifts and changes are like the moods swings of a crazy person and shift rapidly within each song, deftly performed and captured by all.

The title track, Plague of Misanthropy, is similar to the others but relies more on the instrumental than the lyrics/vocals. There are no real lyrics in any of the songs as it’s hard to follow a growling crescendo both musically and vocally. The chorus/hook is more discernible and is more of a moment of reflection before delving back into the deep.

  1. Asthma Nocturnum
  2. Bound To Eternal Agony
  3. Plague Of Misanthropy
  4. The Hammer Of Mortals

Self released
Reviewer: twansibon
Dec 20, 2011

Share this: