The Plague of One
A Distorted Perception
A DISTORTED PERCEPTION was "born out of necessity." The two musicians played in a band together since they were twelve for the past 20 years, but that did not scratch their creative itch. The vocalist moved 3000 miles away after battling addiction, and the band was born. "The Plague of One" is their debut album, and contains eleven tracks.
"The Fake" leads off the album. It opens with dark tones, and some whispered vocals with piano. As it moves on, it gains steam, leading to harsh vocals and more aggressive tones. Cutting back to the whispers, it waxes and wanes a few times. "Now I'm Dead Inside" begins with more soft tones, and acoustic guitars. The mood here is fairly somber, as the title suggests. Grunts indicate the agony the singer is feeling. "Now I wish you were dead, can't get you out of my head" he sings. Seguing into "613," the doomy tones linger. The song moves on, with barren landscapes and hopelessness dominating.
"Cognitive Dissonance" is a heavy and aggressive affair. The rhythms of the vocals are almost spoken in a rapped cadence. "I Will Haunt You" opens with tense tones, leading to a steady increase in volume as it builds. Darkness permeates the sound here, along with heavy despondent tones. "Oxygen" begins with meaty bass notes, and more whispered vocals. Mired in madness, this slow moving track really grates on you, gaining in depression and heaviness as it moves along. Industrial qualities break through here. "To Let it All Out" opens with clean, somber guitars, and features a break around the half-way mark, with vocals that seem to come from all around you. The sterile quality of the music is quite striking.
"I am the Virus" begins with a steady dose of heavy bass and rhythm guitars, along with pounding drums. "Inject me, and I will destroy you" the vocalist breathes. Again, the cadence of the vocals in particular are very rhythmic. "Burn it All Down" is a quick, two-minute shot of dark atmosphere and evil sounding spoken words that echo. "From the Ashes" is an eight-minute opus, beginning with clean guitar strums. The doom and gloom are dialed up here, in full display. "Parasites" closes the album. It's three minutes of a reminder of the power of darkness.
Dark, moody, and somber, "The Plague of One" is a personal exercise in revenge. Much of the discernable lyrical content is about getting even with someone, or the personal triumph over inner demons. It is full of hate, anger and a bit of despair. A dark offering for the Gods.
7 / 10
Good
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"The Plague of One" Track-listing:
1. The Fake
2. Now I'm Dead Inside
3. 613
4. Cognitive Dissonance
5. I Will Haunt You
6. Oxygen
7. To Let it All Out
8. I am the Virus
9. Burn it All Down
10. From the Ashes
11 Parasites
A Distorted Perception Lineup:
Jimmy Zieger - Vocals, Guitars, Drums, Synths, Piano
Joe Barnak - Drums & Bass
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