Review: “A Whispered Curse” by Plague Pit

Broken, bruised and bloodied Plague Pit came into existence in 2024 in Bristol, a first demo “Give In To Death” a portrait in Blackened Hardcore paving the way for the band to share stages with the likes of Coffin Mulch and Thou. However all was not as it first seemed with those shows revealing that their ferocious energy also had a bleaker side to it with old school Death Metal worship apparent. That of course gives their first record proper an air of intrigue while attracting the attention of label Road To Masochist, the promise of a release on 10″ transparent red vinyl one hard to refuse.

Across the moors the sound of the bell tolls as the dead rise from their graves and the hound of the Baskervilles howls at the moon, the introduction to “The Seventh Bell” setting the scene for a tale told black and white psychological horror style. Soaked in dread and dripping with the sweat of night terrors the fierce, feral vocals lay across Blackened Hardcore encrusted Death Metal, bludgeoning percussion and abrasive guitars sounding the alarm. Taking a leaf from the book of Bolt Thrower the spine juddering staccato riff breaks of “Womb Of Orchids” reek of disease, the smell of rotting flesh pungent in the air as the band execute subtle tempo changes that make all the difference as they grind your face into the dirt. The play of silence between the distortion laden riffs is intriguing, the band changing the timings between each moment of brutality to keep you on your toes on the first few listens. As bleak and harrowing as it is brutally rewarding, when it fades to a John Carpenter movie style eerie synth moment that offers momentary relief, you may find yourself wondering just what horrors you have let yourself in for.

The crushing riffs of influenced by Frozen Soul embrace the cold winds as “The Weeping God” unveils its true form, harsh vocals expressing a fever dream in which a God like creature drinks the blood of those who come to claim his head as their prize. This one has a majestic melody that soars above the bands usual caustic abrasions like a chink of light puncturing the black clouds overhead in the second half, shifting the atmosphere from oppression to melancholia with style and grace. Feedback and a bass solo introduce the onslaught that is “A Whispered Curse“, its Death Groove swagger undeniable in the cemetery at midnight. Returning to the melancholia with delicate guitars, the bridge sets scene for a slower, more weighty finale as the harrowing screams echo into the night, a moment to raise a poison chalice to when the four piece perform it live. Funeral synths with 80’s science fiction horror bleakness arise after the fade to black, an eerie final note on which to muse before dawns early light [8/10]

Track Listing

1. The Seventh Bell
2. Womb Of Orchids
3. The Weeping God
4. A Whispered Curse

“A Whispered Curse” by Plague Pit is out 3rd October 2025 via Road To Masochist