The album kicks off with a cinematic clip setting the tone of the entire journey before plunging the listener into the mouth of madness with the first full track “Rival of Nazarene”. The blast beats and tremolo picked action continues in “Banished from Heaven”, with a verse-chorus section that becomes an instant earworm. The number of high velocity riffs and chugs that run rampant through each of the tracks is insane, and while some songs might grip you more than others the overall quality is outstanding. One of my personal favorites has to be “Laqueum Diaboli”, which stuck with me from the first listen with its mid-tempo groove and highly addicting chorus line. Some might argue that when listening to the record as a full package, there might be a bit of a lack of variation and memorability at play here, with much of the album blending together in a blur of brutality. However, this could be said about each record presenting this particular brand of old school death metal and everyone looking for a straight forward piece of ultra-precise and uncompromising destruction will get exactly that. With a playing time of just 35 minutes and enough variation thrown into to the mix there is no chance to become bored before the second spin starts. Some songs offer a slight change of pace, bringing a stompier, more groove-focused style to play, while others bring the ferocity and intensity to the forefront, going to slay without mercy. For the most part, this album is a riff driven affair that has a bit more of a thrashing edge to it than the unfettered chaos of blast beats and blurry tremolo guitar lines that paints other typical old school death metal releases of the modern times. That being said “The Mother of All Plagues” is a pure death metal album in my books. The growling by Max Otero is stronger than ever, who to my understanding is the last remaining founding member of the band. The drumming is also of the highest order, being absolutely relentless without coming across too nervous or chaotic, leaving the main attention to the captivating guitar chords and lead harmonies. The production is among the best I have ever heard. Thick and heavy, but not too synthetic or sterile, the guitars are crushing and the drums have an immense punch. Even the smallest detail is audible, with the mix being absolutely transparent. Also the vocals are not too high in the mix, sitting on top of the fierce instrumentation. The cover artwork is also fantastic, underlining the atmosphere of the album. The title of the album is a coincidence as far as I know, but 2020 seems to be the perfect year to release it. What a belter and easily one of the very best death metal releases of this strange year.