Plector - Dark & Spiteful

Plector is a metal threepiece from sweden and the members have such funny pseudonyms like Eryk Beardmuff, Grizzly Beer and Killhelm. But unfortunately this are the only informations I got from this band. Their website doesn' tell more about them...so I will directly start with the music.

Dark & Spiteful is the title of this album, I think it is their first full length one and it was released in 2009.

„Spiteful love“ starts this album with a thrash guitar part before the aggressive vocals set in. A mixture of thrash and death metal. The voice has a bit of Chris Barnes from Six Feet Under. In the middle the guitar solo tries to bring a harmony lead in but it sounds more strange and underlines the thrash elements in the band's sound. So I would say the music is thrash, the vocals are death metal. „Past is done (dead and gone) starts again with a thrash guitar lead. Slower played but taking speed in the growled refrain. It seems that different members are sharing the vocals and performing an intermezzo with it. A short wah-wah guitar solo brings a little melodic element into this rough song before it ends in a brutal way. When I watched photos of the band my first impression was that the guys like to drink a lot. So the next title „Alcoholic refuge“ was written for themselves? Anyway...uncompromising start in the song. Short guitar part and the growls start immediately. Very brutal song. By the way...Killhelm likes to do some blastparts in the songs. A deep scream leads to a melodic guitar hookline that becomes faster and faster. Cheers !! Next „Slave until you die“. Same start in the song like ever. Some times I can hear old Kreator in the sound. Guitars versus growls. A very thrashful song with a speed guitar solo. Heavy riffing begins the next track „Emotions decline“. The double layed vocals remembers sometimed to barking dogs. For me this song is boring a little bit cause it is played mostly in one sound level. Not really the best song of this album. Bass intro in „Embrace our shit“ (by the way...cool name !). No compromise, brutal and hateful. This is one of the faster songs. Awesome refrain, that will work live on stage I think. Would like to hear the crowd growling the title words. In between the song some elements sound a little bit chaotic. But it has its own charme. Cool song. Another heavy hookline starts „Apathic mind“. And this continues through that song. Blasting drums order some speed to deserve a groove monster with speed elements. Also I can find some pure Heavy Metal and Doom sequences in this song...so we can say this is the most variable one so far. A mixture of different kinds of metal...well done. „Kill yourself inside“ opens up with percussions and bass short before another great guitar hookline appears. A midtempo song again with some old Kreator vibes. The refrain tells us to isolate our souls. Hm...sometimes the lyrics have a little strange touch. Weird guitar solo completes this song in his strangeness. The bass ends it. „Released aggression“ is the last official track of this album. The name is program. Another brutal and angry track. All the known trademarks in this song. Good guitar leads, forwarding drums, deep growls, the released aggression everywhere. Suddenly a happy guitar part appears. Do we have to change our minds? No..only a short interruption, before the song ends with hate. „Die alone“ is marked as bonus track. Speed song with punk elements. Is this grind? Maybe a metal kind of. Noiseful end in this album.

Even if you don't like growls you shoud give Dark & Spiteful a listen. There is much more to explore than in regular Death Metal. This is a bastard of different styles in metal.

This album is self-produced, but it sounds good enough to play in the same league like some other established bands.

Plector? A band to check and music to explore!!

Points:  7/10

review by Kerb