Like so many other bands in the heavy music underground right now, Beastplague have been playing live bills with acts that fall into both the metal and hardcore sides of the musical coin. "We put out a 6-song demo and would play almost weekly at every South Florida hardcore and metal show in the area," bassist Jared tells No Echo.
"We put out a split with another South Florida band, Shovelhead (members of Gouge Away, Axis, and Ecostrike). in 2013, followed by a 10-song tape in 2014, adding Chad on second guitar that year as well. By 2015, we started winding down, with other bands taking priority."
Beastplague specialize in a hybrid of grind and death metal. "Early Napalm Death and Rotten Sound are influences on that front," says Jared. "We’re also influenced by some of the other death/grind metal greats; Origin, Pig Destroyer, Dying Fetus, Misery Index."
After forming in 2012, the band went on the aforementioned hiatus only to return to the blast beats. "In 2022, we started throwing the idea around of playing a few shows again, and when those went well, we immediately started writing. We quickly realized that we’d be limiting any new material by continuing to do vocals ourselves, which is why earlier this year we added Ian.
"With Ian coming on board, it immediately made a huge impact live, and really expanded the writing possibilities. I think the line up now is what we always wanted, but maybe didn’t realize until recently."
The newly refreshed Beastplague showcased their power on an 11-track album called A Different Animal in the fall of 2023:
"We just released A Different Animal in October through a collaboration between Night Shift Merch and Barbaric Brutality. The goal was to be relentless from start to finish, with the 11 tracks clocking in at 12 minutes. We tracked and mixed the record ourselves, with mastering from Brad Boatright at Audioseige and artwork by Dominic Pabon. It features guest spots from a few other South Florida bands including Matt Hurst of Implosive Disgorgence, Simon Mariante of Tracheotomy, and Alex Rothberger of Domain."
With the album out, Beastplague is looking to book as many shows as possible (hit them up: [email protected]), and also plan to have another release out in the first half of 2024.
Jared is chuffed about the local scene Beastplague is part of. "The last 3-4 years has been a huge resurgence for the scene in South Florida. It’s always been plagued by its location, with bands having to commit without it being a through route to other cities. But there’s been a huge shift that’s driven by audiences that are supporting newer bands and touring packages alike, and promoters who have put in a ton of work to establish an awesome scene.
"Huge thanks to Jeff (Equinox Booking), John (Breakeven Booking), Wes (Above Death) and Gabe (Brainwashed Booking) for all they do. "In addition to the bands featured on our new record, check out Fallen God, Xcelerate, Migrant Fury, and Cold Steel."
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A Different Animal is available digitally and cassette via Night Shift Merch and Barbaric Brutality.
Beastplague on social media: Facebook | Instagram
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