Band:	At The Plates
Album:	Omnivore
Style:	Death metal
Release date:	January 2024

01. With Their Cutlets, He'll Marinate
02. Kitchen Gone
03. Punish My Waistline
04. Terminal Filet Disease
05. Omnivore
06. Roastwell 47
07. Open Buffet Surgery
08. Incarnated Syrup Abuse
09. Into Everlasting Fryer
10. Northern Frites

Join us At The Plates! Come for the food, stay for the death metal!

”Culinary death metal for the hungry metalhead.” Thus reads the apt description of US trio At The Plates. As you can tell just from the band's name, At The Plates take a humorous, tongue-in-cheek approach to their death metal. Besides referencing other bands like Dark Tranquillity and Hypocrisy with their song titles and Opeth with their cover art, most of their comedy is baked into their lyrics. Whether it's parading gluttony (“Now I am become appetite, destroyer of buffets”), cannibalizing the suburban neighborhood, being addicted to Maple syrup (”The neighbors think I am Canadian”), complaining about one's own obesity (”Punish my waistline!”), or becoming enlightened through the consumption of French fries, At The Plates always seem to find new and creative ways to cook up hilarious lyrics with dramatic and convincing conviction.

Besides the comical lyricism, there's actual unironically good melodeath on the menu here, too. Melodic guitar solos, fierce riffs, catchy hooks, and even, at times, contemplative atmosphere. For example, while the two seven-minute-long tracks “Terminal Filet Disease” and “Northern Frites” serve an epic variety of spicy rhythm and tasty, technical soloing, the instrumental title track takes a tranquil approach to create an eerily sombre ambience. On Omnivore, At The Plates have prepared a melting pot of death metal styles, dipping their breadsticks toes in classic Gothenburg melody, aggressive thrash-death, cavernous doom death, and sullen death doom.

They're definitely skilled musicians, as evidenced by the buttery smooth guitar-work, and I appreciate their unique angle and sense of humor. Their death metal playing isn't really anything innovative, and their style is clearly influenced by many of those bands that inspired these song titles. Yet, their playing is well done, and their lyrical concept is clearly the element that lets them stand out from the crowd. Thus, I deem Omnivore an above-average demonstration of a band with great potential.

In the end, it will depend on the individual listener's mood and preference whether they'll enjoy the culinary theme. It's truly a bizarre contrast to have these mournful guitar leads playing while the vocalist laments “We were promised alien cheeks but there are none”. What's great about At The Plates, though, is that one can easily choose to separate music and concept. If one doesn't pay attention to deciphering the growling vocals, one could be fooled into thinking this is a tragic, doom-laden, melodic death metal album. But, for those who don't take all their metal seriously and enjoy a side dish of laughter with their headbanging, the lyrics won't be a distraction—instead, they'll be the icing on the cake. … I'll see myself out!