Sewer Fiend/Plague Patrol - Split

Labels: Behind The Mountain/Calvos 73 Records/Dry Cough Records/Headsplit Records/Psychocontrol Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 16 Dec 2022

Tracklist:

1. Sewer Fiend - Through Gurgling Rivers Of Sickness

2. Sewer Fiend - Into Bottomless Blight-Filled Pools

3. Plague Patrol - God From The Nameless Mist

4. Plague Patrol - Gates Of Void

5. Plague Patrol - Hidden Side Of Galaxy

After both releasing stellar demos/EPs in 2021, UK death/doom act Sewer Fiend and Czechia's OSDM  trio Plague Patrol joined forces for a split release in late 2022. It was pressed on all conceivable physical formats (excluding floppy disk and minidisc of course!) by the labels above at the time of release and while the vinyl pressing took a long time to appear, like the whole of the split, it was well worth the wait. To date it contains the latest recordings by both bands.

It’s midweek and I’ve survived the UK’s gloomiest, most depressing month. The only way is up from here! To celebrate, I’m re-immersing myself in a split record that features two of death metal’s best underground newcomers. First up it’s Sewer Fiend who contribute two songs on their side, starting with ‘Through Gurgling Rivers Of Sickness’. The duo’s musical pedigree in UK circles in second to none and as with their demo ‘Echoes From The Cistern’, they waste no time in providing killer death/doom with a cosmic, etherial sound. At times atmospheric but murkily so.

Their second song ‘Into Bottomless Blight-Filled Pools’ is equally as expansive, foregoing the brutality that often befits death metal in favour of a slower, more open approach. Coupled with the fact that this song surpasses eight minutes, it’s no surprise as to how engrossing it is. Definitely doomier than deathly, it shows just why UK death metal and it’s old-school resurgence has garnered so much attention over the last couple of years.

Czechia’s Plague Patrol produced one of my favourite demos of 2021 and here they continue with the same momentum on their opening song ‘God From The Nameless Mist’, which hits top gear straight away thanks to it’s intense tempo and sheer wall of sound that’s accentuated by those low, bellowed vocals. I guess where Sewer Fiend’s vocal delivery was more subtle, Plague Patrol’s is anything but.

‘Gates of Void’ follows after what seems like a needless pause and precedes to unleash yet more OSDM madness with added lead/twin guitar flair. It’s amazing how much music Plague Patrol can shoehorn into such a (seemingly) short song. They do slow things down later on, providing their own death/doom take. Closing with ‘Hidden Side Of Galaxy’, Plague Patrol goes all out with pummelling drums and wailing guitar leads. It’s at this point that it hits just how cohesive this trio of songs are when played in succession. As if that was any surprise though right?.

Having lived with and played this split countless times over the last couple of years, it’s still amazing that with each listen something else leaps out of the speakers. Both Sewer Fiend and Plague Patrol provide such pleasure to the listener with their unique ideals and their excellent interpretations of death metal in the modern era. I sincerely hope that they both continue what they started. Extreme music needs them.

You can stream and purchase the full split digitally below:-

Sewer Fiend - https://www.instagram.com/sewer_fiend_dm/ / 

https://sewerfienduk.bandcamp.com/album/echoes-from-the-cistern

Plague Patrol - https://plaguepatrol.bandcamp.com/album/split-2022

Physical copies can be purchased from the labels below:-

Behind The Mountain Records - https://behindthemountain.net/en/produkt/plague-patrol-sewer-fiend-cd-split-2/

Calvos 73 Records - https://calvos73records.bandcamp.com/album/split

Dry Cough Records - https://www.drycoughrecords.com/product/sewer-fiend-plague-patrol-split-lp-dc65

Headsplit Records - https://headsplitrecords.storenvy.com/products/plague-patrol-sewer-fiend-lp / https://headsplitrecords.storenvy.com/products/plague-patrol-sewer-fiend-split

Psychocontrol Records - https://psychocontrol.com/produkt/plague-patrol-sewer-fiend-split-lp

Behind The Mountain Records - https://www.facebook.com/BehindTheMountainRecs

Calvos 73 Records - https://calvos73records.bandcamp.com

Dry Cough Records - https://www.facebook.com/DryCoughRecords

Headsplit Records - https://www.facebook.com/headsplitrecords

Psychocontrol Records - https://www.facebook.com/PsychocontrolRecords