BORN OF PLAGUES - Dead Endings (Album Premiere)

Written by: The Administrator

Greetings, dear readers, and welcome back to yet another premiere! We're stepping it up today with a full album, courtesy of Baltimore's Born of Plagues. The mighty Dead Endings is their sophomore release, and if you're on the hunt for something as crushingly gloomy as it is crushingly heavy, I suspect you'll find this one quite worth your while.

Born of Plagues play an intriguing brand of death-doom that feels as funereal and moody as it is brawny and sludgy. I'm immediately drawn to anything that seeks to combine the tenets of death and doom; like many of the great duos of history, the genre conglomerate succeeds because it is greater than the sum of its component parts. I'm obviously a massive fan of both on their own, but when the sheer aggression of death metal meets the morose melancholy of doom, something borderline magical is liable to occur. By virtue of comparison, the doomy elements seem doomier, and the deathy moments seem, y'know. Deathier? On  Dead Endings, the doom elements do feel more overtly prominent across the breadth, but the death-adjacent inclusions serve well to elevate the project. There's a notable sense of dynamics at play, and the juxtaposition of a stygian gloom with well-placed bloody-knuckled pugilism helps maintain interest and intrigue. A good death-doom project will often demonstrate a strong sense of push and pull, ebb and flow, give and take. Dead Endings fulfills this quality quite handily.

Prior to its official release tomorrow, November 21st, we're pleased to present Dead Endings in its entirety. Check it out below! Do it quickly, lest I bore you with more pontification on the many merits of death and doom's unholy union. As always, we'll meet again on the far side!

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Seemingly born to brood brutally, Born of Plagues often find a melodic and morose current without falling too far outside the realm of sheer heft. There's a strong sense of drama that flirts and flits between the cracks in the dark. The tracks meander and flow comfortably, and it feels like careful consideration was put into the overall sequencing. Clocking in around 55 minutes, the runtime isn't particularly trim, but the intensity and scope of the sonic palette helps sell the album's sense of grandeur. 

Every track here deserves individual attention, but for the sake of brevity, let's dive into some of my personal favorites. After the stage-setting of the massive opener "Mausoleums," lead single "Silver Light" makes excellent use of a tasty lead; it squirms organically through the bulky riffage. The midpoint features a delightful dip into some overtly melodic waters, and the back half brings back the aggression with notably brutish oomph. An exceptionally well-rounded song, in my (admittedly moldy and tattered) book. While the intimidating presence of Side A commands attention, I'm a fan of the short "Within the Mist," which makes for a nice bridge betwixt the sides. It's a breathing point that nevertheless feels ominous--the low rumbling adds a nice subtle menace. The following (and delightfully entitled) "What Dreadful Music" utilizes stomping drums in particularly effective fashion, and both the harsh and clean vocals here are imbued with a rough rawness that feels tactile and grounded. The vocal variety demonstrated across the project is a real strength (see also the stark contrast on "Tithe") and this track shakes things up from the more brutish delivery of earlier tracks. "What Dreadful Music" also feels shorter than its 7:44 runtime, which is always a plus, personally, when it comes to songs of a certain girth.

Perhaps my favorite track here, however, is closer "Angel's of Fire." Here, the various elements combine in a manner that is both effective and satisfying. The build is grand, the cathartic release is poignant and as triumphant as the somber and gothic atmosphere can reasonably allow. The drums are utterly massive, and it overall feels like the song was recorded in the ruins of an ancient subterranean city. Towards the tail end, the tempo picks up, and a surprise punky energy steals a moment in the limelight before retreating back into the doom and gloom. It's a fantastic track, and demonstrates very well the strengths of Born of Plagues' hard-hitting fusion of muscular styles.

Dead Endings is a very strong sophomore effort, and Born of Plagues has dialed in a pretty damn unique sound in the doom and death-doom spaces. If the combination is even moderately intriguing, I recommend giving this one a well-deserved listen in full. I've really enjoyed the opportunity to spend so much time in its crushing embrace over the past few days.

Born of Plagues - Dead Endings will be self-released November 21st, 20255. Find it here!

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All of Born of Plagues assorted links ​can be found at their linktree