VZ Magazine

Make no Joke about it this is one heavy album. The songs sound like murders and jackhammers pulverizing asphalt. That’s the best way to describe it by far.

This is the band’s fourth album and it’s their heaviest to date. The bass is so prominent it is hard to tell that the band even has a guitar in it. It sounds similar to its predecessor, “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell”, but heavier, much heavier. The band has been known for their heavy detuned sound and controversial lyrics. Although all the members claim to be Christians sometimes their lyrics show too much of their human nature along with religious views; lyrics like “If I were God, we would all be dead,” and “You God is dead,” show a darker side to them in the past, but now there are lyrics like: “Children live forever,” and “Look at us running, always behind, always late, always playing catch up in this human race.” There are different themes in this album that really haven’t been discussed before with the band. Obviously the album is about life and death.

And it’s quite lengthy too at just under an hour long. It’s their longest release to date. Most albums today are forty minutes long.

The seventh track “Room for the Dead” goes back to their technical metal roots. Something I miss from them as they have strayed away from it and have gotten more into traditional hardcore. It reminds of Diligener Escape Plan and Botch. They really show their influences here.

There are some songs with featured vocalist from bands they have toured with them too like Venia and Hundredth. Both of these bands are similar to Plea, but different in their own way, and it still works.

From any angle this album does well and it’s also great for driving too. Except for the transition songs on the record that are usually skipped over. They just don’t do much for the album and could have been left out all together. I know they are trying to show their range and their Guitarist, Blake Martin, is trying to show a softer side to the band, but it was done better in “Marriage of Heaven and Hell” than it is here. A Plea for Purging is a great band nonetheless and they never disappoint.