AN NCS PREMIERE: PLAGUE THROAT — “MA NGA”

Plague Throat are a death metal power trio from Shillong, the capital of a state in northeastern India named Meghalaya, which is separated from the main body of the sub-continent by Bangladesh. Located on a highland plateau surrounded by rolling hills, it’s the wettest region in India and one of the wettest places on earth, yet also one of the most elevated regions in the nation; Meghalaya means “the abode of clouds” in Sanskrit. From my reading, it looks like a beautiful and interesting place, with its own very distinct history, tribal cultures, and languages.

I mention all of this because the Plague Throat song we’re premiering today, which comes from their debut album The Human Paradox, itself bears a traditional name — “Ma Nga” — and the lyrics are in a native language rather than English. I also learned from an interview that the recording of the song was interrupted by an earthquake — though when you hear it, you might be inclined to suspect that the song is what set off the tremors.

“Ma Nga” was written by the band’s drummer, Malice, and that makes perfect sense when you listen to it. It has a tremendously catchy rhythm, with tumbling drum progressions that sound exotic to these Western ears, and it’s produced in a way that gives it a hard punch, augmented by jolting riffs, a fiery guitar solo, and nasty growls.

There are other exotic elements in the music, especially near the end, but it’s also the kind of primal, heavy, bludgeoning song that should appeal to death metal addicts everywhere. It sure as hell appeals to me.

The Human Paradox will be released by Transcending Obscurity India on May 15th. Pre-orders (with related merch) are available at these locations:

CD (+ free badge for first 100 orders):
http://tometal.com/store/cds/plague-throat-india-human-paradox-cd-free-badge-first-100-buyers/

T-shirt (+ free poster for first 50 orders):
http://tometal.com/store/merchandise/plague-throat-t-shirt-free-poster-first-50-buyers/

Plague Throat on the web:
https://plaguethroat.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/plaguethroat3/