2024 is off to an interesting start for Steel! I grabbed the promo for Virginia’s At the Plates because it promised adventurous death metal, and I mistakenly assumed the album had something to do with lifting and gyming due to the moniker. I was wrong. At the Plates is a novel little act pushing a healthy eating theme and advocating for smart food choices. Sophomore outing Omnivore is, at its heart, a very inventive and entertaining blend of death metal styles, flashing Gothenburg melodeath alongside uglier Floridian and New York caveman stomping, early Carcass grinding, and the fiery technicality of Revocation and Arsis. While the lyrics are tongue-in-cheek lessons on the dangers of certain foods and food addiction, the music is anything but lighthearted. In fact, at times this thing reminds me a lot of Headshrinker’s massive and harrowing Callous Indifference opus. Talk about a weird duck with a vicious bite! There’s a lot is going on here, so let’s sink our teeth into this warped hot pocket.
Early into opener “With Their Cutlets” it becomes crystal clear that the gents in At the Plates are very talented and unafraid to push the envelope musically. The song starts with a very dark, foreboding atmosphere, more black metal than anything, but things soon slip into brutal death blastery with wildly corkscrewing riffs and infectious energy bearing traces of the 90s Gothenburg sound. It’s an effective introduction and leaves quite an impression. Things get plenty wild and strange from there. Both “Kitchen Gone” and “Punish My Waistline” are heavy, bruising blends of melodeath, real death, and blackened elements with slick, memorable riffwork and wild ideas. The high point arrives with the 7-plus minute grand buffet of “Terminal Filet Disease” which rocks Dark Tranquillity’s cold, isolating vibe and shifts fluidly between beautiful and ugly moments as it races this way and that in frantic fashion. That aforementioned Headshrinker vibe slithers through the song, giving it a hard, edgy vibe and it’s tough to resist what At the Plates are doing here.
Another big moment hits with “Roastwell 47” which sounds like Dark Tranquillity attempting Stockholm Swedeath (so basically Grand Cadaver). The thrashing, blistering fury here is grand fun and the song sells itself on first spin. Other choice cuts like “Open Buffet Surgery” and “Incanted Syrup Abuse” introduce grindy elements that smack of early Carcass, and Macabre, and the band handles the style quite well. Are there any burned or flavorless bits? No, though the album is padded out with 2 interludes that take away from the album’s hyperactive momentum. There’s some bloat as well, with “Terminal Filet Disease” and closer “Northern Frites” both running a bit too long. That said, the 47 minutes here are inspired and never less than interesting and entertaining.
I’m quite impressed by the talent of the members. Anthony Rouse handles bass, drums and contributes to the guitar work, and it’s this latter feature that really shines. Rouse and Tyler McCarthy rip things up from start to finish with top-notch playing that travels across the extreme metal spectrum. There are many memorable moments to be found here and some of the riffs they toss off are pure gold. Mario Pareja-Lecaros’ vocals are spicy and toothsome, frequently reminding of Mikael Stanne while also offering more extreme varieties of death noise. The writing is generally tight and well-conceived, despite some hokey, goofy lyrics and a tendency to attempt too many things in every song, which at times can work against them.
I admit I wasn’t expecting a whole Hell of a lot from a diet-themed death metal album, but Omnivore is more entertaining than it has a right to be. At the Plates have a cool, captivating style that could develop into something quite husky if fed and watered properly. Some flaws take it from a very good outing to a good one, but the high points are quite high indeed and the overall product is pretty damn cool. This is a band to watch and one to listen to if you want your New Year’s resolutions for a healthy lifestyle to last past January. Eat to live. Don’t live to eat!
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Release
Websites: attheplates.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/atxthexplates
Releases Worldwide: January 5th, 2024
