AGAINST THE PLAGUES – Decoding The Mainframe

Against The Plagues (ATP) are not what most Metalheads would call a “Super group”, however that might change after taking a listen to their new arriving debut album, Decoding The Mainframe.

This band, which started out five years ago, is a joint venture of some well-experienced players from various types of bands. The players of ATP were, and are, currently members of great bands such as Lost Horizon, Luciferion, Malevolent Creation, Damnation and Divine Empire. With this major ton of experience, it was bound for something good to happen. Therefore, Decoding The Mainframe was born.

Technicality is no stranger to these guys as their ample selection of melodic Black/Death Metal riffs is so diverse and it burns as hell. Over the futuristic theme style, ATP displays unique flavors of sorts of speedy, morbid, even a bit of thrashy approaches on several occasions. Moreover, their looming keyboards upgraded their suspension and gave birth to a new kind of fear, the ultra-modern fear. Some of their mayhemic key verses sound as if those were taken off a King Diamond or Emperor record.

Although there are some elements that may resemble other complex extreme Metal acts, this creation has its own level of superiority. Amazing displayed tracks as “War Against The Plagues”, “Force From Within”, “Renegade Manifesto”, “Order Of Decay” and “The Key To Ourselves” demonstrated the fine talents these guys have. Without a doubt, this band will be able to outrun other melodic mixtures of their kind if they keep their current form.

Coming to an additional marker on Decoding The Mainframe, there is the overwhelming production. Through the works of Chris Djuricic, guitarist Wojtek Lisicki and maestro, Dan Swano, ATP was awarded with a wonderful mainframe to land their material on. Dan Swano mastered and handled the re-recording of the tracks, as they were once a part of the band’s demo from 2007. There is no need to exemplify Swano’s capabilities as he once supervised the productions of Opeth, Katatonia, Wintersun, Dissection and Marduk.

Decoding The Mainframe is a challenging album for ones who appreciate melodic extreme music. ATP, has the future to be called a supergroup, presented vastly assorted material, which showed many of their influences along the years. Vic Records, as their new suitable home, did great on capturing those guys when they did, it would have been unfortunate if they hadn’t done so.