With everyone all in a dither over the COVID-19 situation, I’ve been trying to keep things lighter for myself and my two pet rabbits as we quarantine ourselves in my small second-floor bedroom. With not much else to do, I decided to put together a death metal “plaguelist” featuring death metal songs with sickly song titles (not very hard to do for this genre). Since old-school death metal is my go-to, I decided to share some of my favourite titles here. I had to leave out anything after 2000, so forgive me for missing some post-Y2K classics.
First up is “Plague Rages” by Napalm Death. Napalm Death is one of the most catchy death metal bands I know while still holding on to an awesome technical sound. This track is upbeat and awesome to thrash around in a quarantined room to.
Next is one of my favourite tracks: Morbid Angel’s “Angel of Disease.” Morbid Angel is a great band due mostly to their catchiness and their fast, brutal vocals which have an almost rap-like flow to them. Another thing I love about them is the creativity of their lyrics, often resembling epic lore. Other great tracks from them that would suit this playlist are “Lord Of All Fevers & Plague” and “Blessed Are the Sick/Leading the Rats.”
Of course it wouldn’t be a complete old-school death metal plaguelist without Mortician. They are a super spooky death metal band with a chunky, crunchy — referring to a uniquely staticky guitar sound — and guttural vocals that might give you mild nightmares (or remind you of your grandfather’s post-dinner belches, I don’t know). Their track “Apocalyptic Devastation” starts off with a creepy monologue: “Their world crumbled / cities exploded / a whirlwind of looting / a firestorm of fear / men began to feed on men. / On the roads it was a white-line nightmare. / Only those mobile enough to scavenge, brutal enough to pillage would survive. / The gangs took over the highways / ready to wage war for a tank of juice / And in this maelstrom of decay, ordinary men were battered and smashed.”
Then we have Deicide’s “Dead by Dawn,” which is a fast-paced, heavy song. The vocals are layered, featuring low growls and a scratchy, high-pitched scream that sounds like an evil goblin writhing in pain. The technicality of guitar and morbid vocals make this a diverse and engaging gem of the metal world.
I’ll end with tracks from Brutality’s Screams of Anguish album. Their song “Septicemic Plague” boasts the most fitting title for this list, but “These Walls Shall Be Your Grave” has lyrics that are pretty well suited for our quarantined situation: “Surrounded by walls of labyrinth / Trapped inside with no escape,” which is what my bedroom is starting to feel like.
Darien Johnsen is a UFV alumni who obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree with double extended minors in Global Development Studies and Sociology in 2020. She started writing for The Cascade in 2018, taking on the role of features editor shortly after. She’s passionate about justice, sustainable development, and education.
