MASTIFF- ‘Plague’
Some records just seem to… emerge. They don’t arrive politely behind a marketing plan or social media agenda, they barrel and thrash into earshot, slithering out of your speakers like they want to chew on your bones. There are no prizes for guessing that Mastiff, with an album named ‘Plague’ featuring songs called ‘Brainbleed’ and ‘Weep’, are the torture artists behind the latest evil example. The Hull outfit essentially run at only two gears- pissed-off hardcore fast and sludgy doom slow- but still pump out enough acrid emissions to block out the sun. At one point the maelstrom stops but only for a second and only for somebody to scream “eat shit and die”. Thick with atmosphere and aggression, ‘Plague’ is menacing metal, northern anti-soul, a violent car crash in music form.
It’s brilliant, obviously.
