Due the radicalism in Metal (an inheritance of NWOBHM days), it’s hard for some people to understand that listening to music is to have fun. Yes, music is for fun, and if you hear for other reasons before this one, things are wrong on your mind. Many bands tried to break the ‘serious outfit’ of Metal for years and years, and some are gone, others are still here as LUDICHRIST (that was known as SCATTERBRAIN, the same band from the known song “Down with the Ship”), LAWNMOWER DETH, MACABRE (the serial killer themes they use are nothing more than sick humor), MASSACRATION, NANOWAR OF STEEL and others. But a new good name is arriving for the second time: AT THE PLATES with “Omnivore”.

On this second album, the band’s music is purely a form of North American Death Metal, contrasting oppressive slow moments with extreme faster parts (a feature presented on “With Their Cutlets, He’ll Marinate”), with some traits inherited from Grindcore, but being always brutal and extreme. The formula isn’t new and different from other acts of the most traditional Death Metal subgenres, but the band uses such sets of clichés to have a personal work, using some different elements in the mix as well. It’s really very good to hear! Tony Rouse (the band’s guitarist, drummer and bassist) signs the mixing of the songs, while Tony Petrocelly is the one who did the mastering. The main idea: to contrast the brutality and rawness of Death Metal with a defined and ‘dry’ outfit. It makes things blast into the ears, but in a way that allows the hearers to have clearly what they’re up to with their music. And the artwork created by Niklas Sundin has many different interpretations.

The band uses parodies to make their music gain life, so be prepared to have tons of pure fun, especially when dealing with songs as “With Their Cutlets, He’ll Marinate” (as told before, it presents very good contrasts between slow as fast parts, but always with a very good work from bass guitar and drums especially on the blast beats moments), “Kitchen Gone” (that brings a band into a more melodic Death Metal orientation in some moments, with excellent guitar riffs and arrangements), “Terminal Filet Disease” (the use of nasty and bitter slow tempos is always amazing depicting charming guitars’ melodies and very good grunted shrieks), “Roastwell 47” (be prepared for being stomped flat during some parts, and the band presents a very good technical insight on this one), “Open Buffet Surgery” (that depicts some Death/Thrash Metal elements due the hooks it bears), “Incarnated Syrup Abuse” (again the band pushes things nearer Melodic Death Metal on this one), and “Northern Frites”. By the titles, you know who they’re making fun of sometimes, but’s just parodies.

“Omnivore” depicts a mature and very good band, so dive into it and enjoy this offering done by AT THE PLATES!