Grave Pleasures – Plagueboys

Is it possible to associate joy with death? If the Finnish post-punk band Grave Pleasures is asked, then this question shall be answered with a resounding "yes'. The band around British singer Mat McNerney already celebrates tremendous prestige in the international rock scene before their foundation as Grave Pleasures, because they were previously enjoying cult status as Beastmilk, due to their debut "Climax".

This formation, however, was permanently put on hold after the departure of Johan Snell, a founding member alongside McNermey. In 2015, McNermey and bassist Valtteri Arino of Beastmilk founded the spiritual successor Grave Pleasures with additional members. The debut album "Dreamcrash" followed within the same year, "Motherblood" in 2017 and in April 2023 the third album "Plagueboys was released after a six-year-wait. Did the long wait for new music of the Finnish/British band pay off or is the only pleasure to press the ´off´ button on the home stereo?

By loading the video, you accept YouTube's privacy policy.

Unblock Youtube

Grave Pleasures - Bittersweet Melancholy

First, we go on a little excursion of the band´s discography so far, to establish a rough context of their previous work. Debut album "Dreamcrash" immediately impressed with a mix of different genres, yet the basic tone remained firmly anchored in post-punk. To be precise, the genre Grave Pleasures uses can be referred to as Death Rock. Fans of Beastmilk instantly recognize the DNA of the previous incarnation, which has been more refined.

The follow-up work "Motherblood" seamlessly embraces experimentation with different genres, sometimes short heavy metal and proto-punk passages flicker through. "Motherblood" established an increasingly unique identity in the post-punk genre. Songs like "Joy Through Death" and "Falling For An Atom Bomb" create anthemic and danceable compositions that express a deep-seated world weariness in a bittersweet way. The charismatic vocals of McNermey put the musical crown onto the sophisticated arrangements of the songs by Grave Pleasures. In addition to vocal duties within the Finnish Folk Rock Band Hexvessel, the Brit has provided support for various bands of different styles, be it as a session musician or additional lyricist.

Magical third album?

In music history, it is often the case that a third full album determines the performers' own identity. Is this also the case for Grave Pleasures? After six long years, the album was released on April 21st under Century Media. When listening through the album, a basic thought emerges - The stylistic experiments are laid to rest and a coherent, continuous collage of sound is wallowing within the eardrums. Gone are the days of the wild mix of post-punk and heavy metal passages, instead the band moves forward to more Gothic Rock soundscapes.

Across ten songs, an apocalyptic atmosphere is evoked, which works completely without typical distortion and speed. The wild sounds of the 80s are skillfully combined with a slightly metallic edge and successfully transferred into the 21st century. With "Plagueboys", Grave Pleasures becomes one of the best contemporary bands that honour melancholic post-punk, and the album represents the most organic work of their career to date, which may very well assume the same cult status as "Climax”.

Plagueboys - Apocalyptic longing

The album begins with the brilliant "Disintegration Girl", which tells of a corrupted love that leads to all of existence being wiped out. The Gothic Rock sound dominates from the very first notes and invites you to a scary yet beautiful dance of death, which weaves itself through the record like a red, or pitch black, thread. This is followed by one of the many highlights of "Plagueboys´, the pre-released single "Heart Like A Slaughterhouse", whose basic mood and memorable chorus gets burned deep into the subconsciousness.

One thing can already be spoilt: the entire album is a series of bangers, just as few studio albums manage to do. "When The Shooting"s Done" follows directly afterwards, whose chorus brings the 80s back to life through cleverly applied synthesizer parts. Then the second pre-released single "High On Annihilation", which convinces through a driving beat and beautiful guitar runs, follows the high standard. The halfway mark of the album is "Lead Balloons", the only song that serves as a pure ballad and invites you to dream darkly with its strong reverb effects.

The second half of the album is introduced with "Imminent Collapse", another compositional highlight of "Plagueboys´. Tribal drums, reminiscent of Killing Joke at their highpoint during the 80s, dominate the track and a melancholy mood is created by the delicate guitar runs. Then the third and final single, "Society of Spectres" namely, follows. This is the first song that came out as a teaser for the album and drives ´Plagueboys" main thread home. It is brimming with bravado - catchy choruses that alternate between hopefulness and hopelessness courtesy of McNermey´s voice, a great bass run and driving drums on top.

The beginning is heralded with nostalgic keyboard passages, to which the bass and the remaining instruments join in one after the other. The final trio of "Conspiracy Of Love", the title track and "Blood On The Camera Lens" completes the third album of Grave Pleasures superbly, especially the last song evokes memories of the The Cure´s potentially best song, namely "A Forest".

Conclusion

Despite references to past classics, "Plagueboys" has an undeniable identity of its own and honours the past rather than lovelessly copying it. Clear recommendation for all those who love dark and anthemic songs!

Onward to a new era

If you liked this review, then please check out more reviews on the blog of mukken.com, our diverse team is constantly working on new content to satisfy the hunger of music lovers. Among other reviews, our feature section has some exciting analyses of music creators that are worth generating as much attention as possible. In the same way, more and more reports of concerts have been recorded here, which are guaranteed to grow over time. Not to be forgotten are our sections with useful tips and tricks to boost practical music making, coaching and explaining different instruments. Work is carried out on all sections regularly to ensure that the fans of music can continue to receive high-quality contributions. On Instagram and TikTok, mukken.com is of course also available, as well as our own podcast on all common portals. Let's live out our motto together - because music brings people together.