Gospel of Pestilence

Personnel: Logan Madison (vocals); Jason Phillips , Nick Christensen (guitar); Dave Mann (drums).
Audio Mixers: Dave Mann ; John Lakes.
Recording information: Our Practice Space (12/2010).
Photographer: Krista Larsen.
It should go without saying that Dayton, Ohio possesses a rather small and close-knit heavy metal scene, but who could have guessed that the union of certain members of local post-metal purveyors Mouth of the Architect and death metal stalwarts Acheron would result in a necro-cvlt black metal project like Bringers of Disease. Released in 2011, Gospel of Pestilence is the ensemble's virgin salvo, and, while convincingly authentic in its sonic reproduction of Scandinavia's most fearsome export, its four songs don't offer much more beyond that. Oh, they're entertaining, all right -- particularly during the violent concussions leveled toward the end of "Doomed to Flames," the furiously blastbeaten onslaught of the made-to-order "Our Final Reward in Hell," and the grim, prolonged death rattle of "A Plague to End All Plagues." But one can't help but wonder what might have been if those post-metal nuances and other extraneous elements had been given entry into the mix, which is perhaps unfair given Bringers of Disease's raison d'être here: playing some black f**king metal! So maybe next time, and, for now, Gospel of Pestilence makes for a nice curio of an unexpected musical fellowship. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia