KHAZADDUM is a J.R.R. TOLKIEN based Death Metal band from Milwaukee making their debut in to the Metal scene for this year 2017, as powerful as the hammer of Celebrimbor and as restless as the kin of Durin, these American Death Metal musicians truly embody the genre and the concept of their art, as they appear to be bred at the very core of Mount Erebor themselves, which allows them to enrich the display of creativity and acquire a unique and gargantuan persona on stage and on this record. "Plagues upon Arda" is KHAZADDUM'S first full-length work for both fantasy fans and Extreme Metal lovers all over the world, since both are ambits which can safely brag about having the most loyal fans, these band is in for an important mission to get to be known by all those endless crowds gaining more and more notoriety all over the world.

As I am a fan of both, I find it amazing how culture always finds a way to extrapolate into Metal, be it because of its inherent characteristics or because us Metal Heads are ever so cultured, I guess at the end, it is a little of both that makes this unforgettable mashup for those with the experience and taste to truly enjoy them. "Shelob the Great" the eight song that references directly to the monstrous giant spider that stole the light from the trees forever, is a piece of Death Metal worthy of a Marathon runner, the speed, brutality and just the determination displayed by KHAZADDUM are admirable features by itself, it must be a true test of endurance to play this music with such amount of accuracy as to say that no mistakes are made in spite of the unbelievable amount of notes that these music professionals can perform in such short amounts of time, after a memorable keyboards assembly placed together with the harsh tuning of the instruments, just like the end of "Oathbreaker's Curse" the very last song of the album, the world around you begins to change and chaos takes a hold of you, just like Moria when it became overrun by orcs, when the only thing left to do in order to survive is to be courageous and never give up against the growing shadow.

This record leaves me inevitably waiting for its follow up, and I hope it doesn't take as long as the great works in which it drew its inspiration from. A shelf on top of the Metal Temple collection where only the Maia con reach to keep those filthy orcs and their claws from it. Memorable piece of work and a lean mean killing machine of a band to go with it.