The Plague is the second extended play by the American thrash metal band Nuclear Assault. The six-track EP was originally released as a 12-inch vinyl record through Combat Records in 1987, and later combined with the band's full-length debut, 1986's Game Over, into one CD by Relativity Records.
The EP, which is a "collection of old and new material," was recorded from December 1986 to January 1987 at the Music Grinder studios in Los Angeles, California with producer Randy Burns. The Plague was originally to be titled "Cross of Iron" and to have had a cross as the sleeve artwork. However, the band's label Combat Records cited possible objections that may have come from religious organizations.