Plague Thirteen Eroded 12″

I have regularly seen the name PLAGUE THIRTEEN on gig posters in Europe, and hailing from Belgium (or Hellgium as proper punks call it), they are fairly local to me, but I have never been arsed to actually checking them out. It seems like laziness is just like DISCHARGE’s final bloodbath: just around the corner. I am not going to beat around the bush, and unfortunately, I did not enjoy this LP. It is described as a cross between TRAGEDY and NEUROSIS, which is really ambitious indeed, but PLAGUE THIRTEEN is more at home with ’00s so-called neocrust and all the bands that have been trying to infuse dark Scandicrust with even darker. heavy post-hardcore and guitar melodies. The band included the singer and guitar player of LINK, who were undeniably a reference in the genre in the late ’00s up until the late ’10s, and this newer take on the subgenre does objectively sound solid and ticks the boxes it is meant to—like a blend between early CULT OF LUNA, FALL OF EFRAFA, and some unstoppable Swedish band like WOLFBRIGADE or something. They certainly are honest and passionate, but it’s not punk enough for me and just not my subjective cuppa.

• Reviewer Romain Basset
• Label Loner Cult / Phobia / Shove
• Issue MRR #519 • August 2026