Playing metal infused hardcore in the country music capital of the world isn't exactly the most ideal situation for a young band. Luckily for Nashville, TN's A Plea For Purging, they have channeled the adversity into an impressive, if flawed debut album. Showcasing their penchant for European death metal, guitarists Blake Martin and Lyle Paschal dress most of the material with twin-guitar harmonies reminiscent of bands like In Flames and Soilwork. Their high-powered fretwork is the real treat here. Unfortunately for the band, the flat production of Miah (no last name given) doesn't do the musicianship any favors. The bass guitar is almost inaudible in the mix and many of the breakdowns lack the punch needed to be really successful.
Andrew Atkins' sandpaper scratched vocals aren't the most original but his clarity is very effective. He gets vocal assistance from Whitechapel frontman Phil Bozeman on the thrashing "Perseverance" which just turns out to be the strongest track on the album. They even throw a Dillinger Escape Plan-like jazz interlude in the middle of the song for added measure. The rest of the album lags and never really does anything to distinguish itself from the rest of the heap turning this kind of metalcore out. The discipline of a focused producer can be what makes A Plea For Purging live up to the potential they have shown here.
By Carlos Ramirez
A Plea For Purging - A Critique of Mind and Thought 
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