PLAGUE YEARS Issues “Incantation” Guitar Playthrough; Band Earns #1 Spot On Gimme Metal’s Current Top 40 Songs Of The Week

Photo by Rian Staber

Detroit-based crossover death thrashers PLAGUE YEARS today unleashes a guitar playthrough for “Incantation.” The crushing track comes by way of the band’s Circle Of Darkness full-length recently released via Entertainment One (“eOne”).

View the play through at THIS LOCATION.

Find the band’s previously released videos for “Paradox Of Death,” “Incantation,” and “Play The Victim” HERE.

In related news, PLAGUE YEARS earned the #1 spot on Gimme Metal‘s current Top 40 Songs Of The Week with the track “Paradox Of Death.” View the full list HERE.

PLAGUE YEARS’ Circle Of Darkness is out now on CD, digital, and vinyl formats. For ordering options to go THIS LOCATION.

Mining the subterranean depths once unearthed on classic Sepultura albums like Beneath The Remains and Arise, with the vicious bite of Germanic slabs like In The Sign Of Evil by Sodom and the Hall of Fame ’80s output of Slayer, the devilish and down-tuned death worship within PLAGUE YEARS serves as a demonic calling card for the foursome; a brutal counterbalance to their otherwise likeminded thrash revivalists. On Circle Of Darkness, the band’s full-length debut, PLAGUE YEARS reunites with engineer Arthur Rizk, whose work with Power Trip, Tomb Mold, Candy, and Cavalera Conspiracy has propelled him to the front of the horde amidst the resurgence of crossover thrash.

PLAGUE YEARS pays homage to Detroit forebearers Negative Approach and modern contemporaries Hellmouth in equal measure, while infusing the proceedings with a brutal spin of their own design. In terms of lyrical aggression, songs like “Play The Victim” and “Paradox Of Death” blend traditional death metal blood-and-gore fantasy with the unrestrained bravado of Detroit’s grittier contributions to rap, like LOM Rambo and Motown upstart Icewear Vezzo.

Like an icepick to the face, PLAGUE YEARS arrives with an electric surge of sudden pain. An unrelenting end of the world assault of the cataclysmic convergence of thrash and hardcore, with bits of blackened death and midtempo madness to spare, the band summons the primitive spirit of the singular moment when the heaviest of metal first smashed into a circle pit. PLAGUE YEARS reignites that flame with sharp fury.

“…PLAGUE YEARS turn chugging into an art form, making simple stomps feel like genuine riffs.” – Decibel Magazine

“…a death thrash rager…” – Revolver

“…nothing short of a modern thrash classic…” – Metal Injection

“Thrash has always been a diverse genre, with equal room for goofy party vibes and infernal paeans to the abyss. In 2020, it’s the latter approach that seems most fitting and timely, and PLAGUE YEARS have absolutely nailed the desolate spirit of the age via some truly ripping thrash fucking metal.” – Blabbermouth

“…the quartet just freaking rages on songs such as the sledgehammer opener ‘Play The Victim’ or surgical strike of the title track. Somewhere, there is a skate park where someone has this cranked to 11 and is carving the bowl to bits to Incantation.” – Vancouver Sun

“Nonstop, unrelenting crossover death metal that can knock you on your ass even at its slowest moments. The intermixing of tempos and pacing is precisely calibrated for pure pit-destroying, headbanging-ready potential.” – Invisible Oranges

“When this band lays down a groove, the walls shake.” – New Noise Magazine

“…gnarly death metal and skull-bashing crossover in the same record… Need something to kick your ass in gear today? Getcha some PLAGUE YEARS.” – Heavy Blog Is Heavy

“…a riff lover’s dream…” – Heavy Music HQ

“It definitely comes with a strong crossover element along with the vintage death/thrash trappings that will likely appeal heavily to fans of Power Trip (R.I.P. Riley Gale) and Ringworm, but its chief audience will likely be old school death/thrash enthusiasts who have continued to gorge themselves on the various projects helmed by Paul Speckmann and Rogga Johansson.” – Sonic Perspectives

“A powerhouse of explosive, groove-fuelled riffs, Circle Of Darkness is simply ferocious. The talented Lauder’s frantic soloing shrill and piercing in the best possible way, while Engelhardt’s vocal style – which might not appeal to everyone – is an integral part of their sound as each track takes on a horrific, uncontrollable life of its own.” – Ghost Cult