A Plea For Purging caused a bit of a stir with the horrific looking cover art for ‘The Marriage Of Heaven And Hell’ (2010). Only a year later they are back with their fourth album ‘The Life & Death Of A Plea For Purging’. The line-up remains as Andy Atkins (vocals), Blake Martin (guitar & clean vocals), John Wand (bass) and Aaron Eckermann (drums). Their style is still metalcore with brutal riffing, but also contains melodic parts and a mixture of clean and unclean vocals. As suggested by the title, the topics covered are all taken from personal experience.
There has not been a huge amount of publicity around this release and when you get to “My Song” you may understand why. But let’s not jump ahead too soon as “The Life” asks you to take stock of your life. “It’s hard to hold onto your ideals when you’ve lost your innocence/when the dreams you’ve caught aren’t the dreams you’ve chased”. Considering that this band conducts extensive tours, it should not come as a surprise that “Music City” is about being homesick and wanting to be back with your friends.
After a melodic interlude, they launch into “My Song” where Andy Atkins unflinchingly deals with tragic events “In the winter of 2010, I lost my mother to the barrel of her loaded gun/two weeks later my forgotten dad lost the battle of his life long suicidal run/he was dead to me years ago, but losing her was an eternal blow.”
This is followed by the acoustic “Skin & Bones” and the struggle within “Room For The Dead” is amplified by the mixture of melodic parts along with crushing guitar. “There’s a battle for my soul between God, the devil, and rock n roll”. As if in answer to critics, “Words Misread”, explains that they want to provoke a reaction and make you think through issues rather than blindly following others. “Living The Dream” sees them asking whether they have wasted the last five years in their pursuit of being a successful touring outfit. Whereas in the past they have been defiantly hellfire and brimstone, they sound more reflective in “The Death”. Whilst this is not relentlessly brutal, it sees them displaying the gritty reality of their lives.
Rating: 8/10
Reviewed by Peter John Willoughby
Track Listing:
1. The Life
2. Music City
3. Heart Of A Child
4. Miss Fortune
5. My Song
6. Skin & Bones
7. Room For The Dead
8. A Fight For Peace
9. Hell At Our Backs
10. Words Misread
11. Hands & Feet
12. Living The Dream
13. The Death
14. The Setting Sun
Bandmembers:
Andy Atkins – Vocals
John Wand – Bass
Aaron Eckerman – Drums
Blake Martin – Guitar
Record Label: Facedown Records / 2011