The Plague (American band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | October 1982 |
| Founder | Bob Sablack |
| Headquarters | Cleveland, Ohio , United States |
| Products | Hardcore punk music, EPs, LPs |
The Plague was a hardcore punk group originating from Cleveland, Ohio, founded by Bob Sablack. As representatives of punk rock's second wave, they embarked on extensive tours throughout the United States and Europe, issuing multiple EP records.
History
Established in October 1982 as a three-piece ensemble, Bob Sablack brought in his cousin John Korosec to play drums and Duke Snyder on bass, while Sablack himself handled guitar and vocals. Drawing inspiration from bands such as Discharge and The Stooges, they swiftly produced an eight-track demo.
They performed frequently in both Cleveland and Kent, undergoing several changes in vocalists before recruiting Mike Duncan from Agitated in 1985. That same year, a recording session was unsuccessful due to intoxication, postponing further studio work. In 1987, motivated by Mike Metoff of The Pagans, they recorded the single "Just Say No," which received favorable reviews in Maximumrocknroll and facilitated a tour across Europe.
After hearing the single, Swedish producer Stefan Wicklander signed The Plague. He oversaw the production of the split LP Distortion Head with Swedish band Rosvette (Ass Sweat), the promotional tour single "Unresting Place," and The Plague's complete LP Chain Sawng Massacre.
European tour
The Plague's European tour helped them amass their most significant fan base outside of Cleveland. They were pioneers among Cleveland’s second-wave punk bands to perform in Europe; previous groups like The Dead Boys and Pere Ubu had toured there during punk’s initial wave a decade earlier. Their song "Nazi Submarine" became particularly popular with fans, although it was initially omitted from their German performances to avoid controversy—only for audiences to later insist on hearing it.
Demise
In 1989, The Plague completed their final recording session before disbanding. Nearly thirty years later, their vinyl releases along with some unreleased material were compiled into a two-part collection named Thumper, which is available for digital download.
Discography
- "Just Say No"
- Distortion Head
- Unresting Place
- Chain Sawng Massacre
- Thumper, Volume 1
- Thumper, Volume 2