I was recommended Plaguebearer, who call Stockholm, Sweden their home, by a friend of mine from said city (Hej Pjär!) whose exact words to me via an email were, "When I first heard them I thought, 'This is something for KAT'!" and I am so glad he did think of me when he first listened to them!

After clicking on the link to their musicth I was totally blown away - his description was "Iron Monkey meets Dystopia", and he wasn't very far off the mark. There are seven hefty slabs of crusty sludge/HC-infused heaviness on their debut 2011 demo, which boasts some seriously awesome, powerful, rockin' riffs. The band feature a member of Autopsy-worshipping death metal beastsw Morbus Chron in their ranks as well.

I can't see this band releasing demos for long if this recording is anything to go by; they are definetly a force to be reckoned with, and hopefully an album will surface at some point so I can indulge in more songs by them!

I just had to make them my band of the week based on this recording alone, and wanted to find out a bit more about them, so contacted the band armed with some questions. Here is what guitarist/vocalist Kaveh had to say...

Hails! What's the skinny on Plaguebearer?

"Hi! We are a trio from Stockholm in Sweden, I (Kaveh) play the guitar and do the vocals. Sebastian plays the drums and Dag plays the bass."


What bands have shaped the sound of Plaguebearer? Where do you draw inspiration from?

"Iron Monkey and Dystopia are favourites of mine, definitely. Where I draw my inspiration from? Hard to say... from anywhere and anything really. The main idea was just to do something different, something we hadn't played before."



What do you have planned for this year and beyond? Any other recordings/releases planned?

"Our plan is to record more music as soon as we are ready. No releases planned so far, though we'd like to release something."

Do you play live much?

"Well, we've managed to do a few gigs.  We have nothing planned at the moment."


It seems people in bands in Stockholm are usually involved in more than just one band, is this the same for members of Plaguebearer?

"Yes, it is the same for us. I'm also in Son of Ruin. Dag plays bass in Morbus Chron and the drums in Ho Chi Minh Howlers and Sebastian plays the drums in Headed For Disaster. Son of Ruin, Morbus Chron and Headed for Disaster are going to release albums soon, so keep your eyes and ears open!"


What local bands from your area would you recommend to people out there?

"Sanctuary In Blasphemy, No Omega and Radiation Sickness... heavy shit!"



Where can people get hold of and hear your stuff?

"You can listen to us at http://plaguebearer.bandcamp.com/, we also have a page on Facebook you can check out if you want to know what we are up to."