Bringer of Plagues

Divine Heresy | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 28, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Century Media
• ASIN: B002CVQAUE
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #66,004 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Facebreaker

2. The Battle of J. Casey

3. Bringer of Plagues

4. Redefine

5. Anarchaos

6. Monolithic Doomsday Devices

7. Letter To Mother

8. Enemy = Kill

9. Darkness Embedded

10. The End Begins

Editorial Reviews

The creative force behind the genre-defying, legendary Metal titans Fear Factory, guitarist Dino Cazares, has returned with a mind-blowing, scathing new offering that shatters the boundaries of conventionality with unrelenting intensity, precision and speed. This 2009 offering from Cazares' extreme Metal juggernaut Divine Heresy also features one of the genre's most acclaimed drummers, Tim Yeung (ex-Nile, Vital Remains), bassist Joe Payne (ex-Nile) and newcomer vocalist Travis Neal (ex-The Bereaved, Pushed). This pummeling offering redefines the meaning of aggression and takes extreme to an all new level. This album undeniably ups the ante in terms of brutality, precision and technicality as the group are more focused and tighter than ever before.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Bringer of plagues both delivers and disappoints, August 31, 2009

By 

soulrage "subsided_rage" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bringer of Plagues (Audio CD)

So Divine Heresy has finally released their second disk. Short version it both delivers and disappoints. It's kind of like your prom date in high school. You get into the car and get to third base, life is good. You hit the hotel room and get that let down. DH have changed since bleed. They have added death metal journeyman Joe Payne on bass, and have made the controversial vocalist change. Gone is Tommy (call me Vext) Cummings, and added is Travis Neil. Tommy always came across as a Howard Jones clone, with hip hop influence. Travis Neil on the other hand has a sound that harkens to the Swedish slash throats of NWOSDM and swed thrash. On a personal note I've found I prefer Neil, though both have their flaws. The problem with Bringer isn't the vocalist it's the song writing.

Bringer of plagues comes out of the gate possessed. Face breaker is exactly what I want in an opening track. It opens with a faded in riff, wicked guitar and bass arpeggios and lightning fast double bass. It has some great changes and the clean vocals work quite well. It does sport the typical Dino solo (a quick scale and ultra fast alt picking slides). It's a killer opener, and good or bad one of the best on the disk. The battle of J Casey is solid, but as to be found on most of this album its nothing really ear catching. The intro to the title track could have been left off and you would never have missed it. The title track has its moments but still becomes predictable and familiar. The opening blast beat frenzy followed by the triplet/ double kick syncopation, the bridge riff chorus combo, insert clean vocals here. It will bang your head but multiple listens it falls kind of flat. Redefine is the same until the chorus the arrangement with the clean vocals just doesn't groove right. Anarchaos. Can you say sounds too much like Soul Decoded? It's the typical 8 string track and the first 3notes are damn near exact. The next couple of tracks blur together. It just typical triplet induced Dino. A flash here and there but nothing to write about. Darkness embedded is a tune I truly enjoy. It provides the album ballad. Some have cried foul on Travis's cleans here but I honestly love them. It also gives the album a much needed buffer. I might have dropped this at track 5. The album closes with the End begins. It's not a bad track but you have already heard the riffs before in the album and the use of auto tune on Neil's vocals at the end of the track kind of kill it.

This is a Dino and Tim frenzy. The guitars and drums dominate the mix as to be expected. Dino and Tim are without question in fine form. The problem is the songs become mundane and predictable. The overdose of palm muted triplets locked with double kick become the same. It has its moments like the aforementioned prom date but also comes with the same let down. If you wanted this to be the next Demanufacture, its not. If you wanted this to blow the doors off Bleed it won't. What it does give you is some solid tunes insanely fast drum/ guitar interplay, a few cases to snap your neck and some note worthy riffs.The lyrics are well written and there are some very catchy moments.Overall if that's what you are after and go into it with that mindset it's worth it. If not well Soul of a New Machine and Demanufacture still sound pretty damned good.

Ratings

Production. 5/6
Song writing 3/6
Musicianship 5/6

Top Tracks, Face breaker, The Battle of J Casey, Bringer of Plagues, Darkness Embedded

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cold, Calculating, and Unrelenting!!!, March 31, 2010

By 

Jeremy Brackeen "themetalbeast" (Cameron, WI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bringer of Plagues (Audio CD)

When I first listened to Divine Heresy's highly successful and breakthrough debut album from 2007 "Bleed The Fifth", what I heard was a vicious and commanding onslaught of unrelenting guitars and pounding drums that litterally blew me away in every sense of the word, and I was quickly hooked to Divine Heresy afterwards. Now with their latest album 2009's "Bringer of Plagues", Divine Heresy continue where they left off on their debut album and bring absolute aggression and annihilation like a machine hellbent on destruction. This album is simply cold, calculating, and unrelenting with a bludgeoning and viciously destructive onslaught of hammering machine gun riffs, heart pounding drums, and commanding vocals, it's just amazing in every aspect. "Bringer of Plagues" also features the debut of new vocalist Travis Neal who replaces former vocalist Tommy "Vext" Cummings, and it's also the first DH album to feature new bassist Joe Payne. While Travis's screaming vocals may not be as aggressive as Tommy's, but he still delivers nonetheless, just listen to him during the chorus on "Anarchaos", and the intro on "Monolithic Doomsday Devices" for proof, and he also does good with the clean and melodic vocals as well. Dino Cazares's heavy, ice cold riffs will just hammer your ears with relentless fury like a machine gun that fires through your body like crazy, and he also throws in some nice solos, yes I said solos. Joe Payne's bass is somewhat drowned out throughout most of the album not that I'm complaining or anything, however he does have some moment here especially on "Facebreaker" where he throws in a cool bass riff in the beginning, and meanwhile drummer Tim Yeung pounds, crushes, and destroys behind the drums throughout with a barrage of fast, monstrous, and pounding beats, and rapid firing machine gun like double bass kick onslaughts. He is just an absolute monster on here, and this album sure proves that he never sounded better.

Highlights Included:

"Facebreaker" is a fast and insane opener that boasts an insane opening guitar riff that is quickly followed by a short but sweet bass riff by Payne and a throat piercing scream from Neal that lead into a barrage of blasting and pounding drums, double bass kicking, more insane riffing and blistering screams, and there's also a nice guitar solo thrown in by Dino as well. "The Battle of J.Casey" continues the rampage with more pounding drums, fast, surging guitars, and angry screams. We also have a great melodic sung chorus as well as a crushing breakdown of hammering machine gun riffing and double bass kicking shortly before the 2 minute mark and another nice shredding solo is also thrown in as well. "Bringer of Plagues" is another favorite of mine on here that immediately begins with Travis screaming out "BRINGER OF PLAGUES" which quickly lead into another rampaging and commanding assault of blasting, heart pounding drums and chaotic, ice cold riffing that'll beat you straight up senseless, while "Redefine" is another fast paced and crushing back scorcher that is highlighted by more of Tim's incredible double bass percussion work, and there's a catchy melodic sung chorus too. Track six "Anarchaos" (which is my favorite song on the album) is highlighted by more commanding screaming vocals, hammering, and bludgeoning riffs and double bass drum onslaughts, and a monstrous shout along chorus that will simply give you goosebumps, and there's a punishing breakdown around the 2 minute mark as well. Track seven "Monolithic Doomsday Devices", meanwhile features some excellent screaming from Travis in the beginning before going into another bludgeoning onslaught of crushing, machine gun like riffs, and blistering double bass drumming, and "Enemy Kill" just crushes throughout with more pummeling, ice cold riffing, and double bass pedal kicking, and more brutal, harsh screams from Neal to boot, while "Darkness Imbedded" is a more slower and melodic cut that greatly showcases Neal's melodic vocal skills.

Overall, there isn't even one bad song on this album, they all rule as a matter of fact. All in all, "Bringer of Plagues" is definately one of my favorite albums of 2009, and is simply put one monster of an album that will just blow your mind away from start to finish pretty much like "Bleed the Fifth". Highly Recommended!!!

BTW: Dino Cazares is back in Fear Factory now, and they released a new album called "Mechanize" just recently. Be sure to check that out too...

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tidal wave of pounding drums and relentless guitars, July 28, 2009

By 

Seth R (MA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Bringer of Plagues (Audio CD)

I figured Divine Heresy would be a one-album, one-time thing for guitarist Dino Cazares, and to my wonder this band is still kickin'. When their debut Bleed The Fifth came out I considered it to be the best Fear Factory album never made. I was taken aback by how aggressive the drums and guitars were... and still am with their sophomore effort Bringer Of Plagues. I have to say that both albums top Arkaea's Years In The Darkness, which supposedly features songs that were meant to be on a new Fear Factory album. I like both bands, but Divine Heresy is superior in songwriting, and it comes as no surprise that Cazares is allegedly back in with Fear Factory and guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers is out (and doing his Arkaea thing).

Something new with Divine Heresy is singer Travis Neal replacing the fired Tommy Vext. In my opinion Neal isn't as aggressive as Vext but still brings the hammer. The only thing I don't like is his clean vocals in "Darkness Embedded," which are kind of whiny and off key or something. It just doesn't sound right, but overall Neal is a good replacement and his harsh vocals fit in well. While I'm judging - and I hate to downplay something that's good as a whole - the bass isn't very prominent. Bringer Of Plagues is a tidal wave of pounding drums and relentless guitars. I feel like the band tries to play as fast and hard as they can, and that's where the bass becomes lost.

Like Bleed The Fifth, this new material is essentially much of the same, which somehow satisfyingly makes it difficult to pick a favorite. Choose both I must! Tim Yeung is still a monster behind the drum kit. Every song is annihilated with kick drums and ungodly percussion. Dino Cazares' guitar-playing gallops and thrashes like a possessed thoroughbred. Your ear drums will be crushed into a fine powder. This album is one of my favorites of 2009 and while rumors swirl that Cazares is rejoining Fear Factory, I hope Divine Heresy isn't forgotten.