Band: Pestilence
Title: Resurrection Macabre
Label: Mascot Records
Distribution: PIAS
Release date: March 2009
Review: CD

Pestilence were one of the oldest and most important bands within the (Dutch and international) extreme Metal scene. In the early years, the band brought violent yet ingenious Thrash Metal, later on this evolved into majestic Death Metal, initially straight-forward, later on more technical and experimental, incorporating elements from Industrial, Jazz and Prog. In 1994, however, the band broke up because of the members’ busy schedule with their other bands.
Last year, founding member Patrick Mameli (v, g; also in C-187) reformed the band, and together with C-187-colleague Tony Choy (b; ex-Atheist, ex-Cynic), Patrick Uterwijk (g; ex-Theriac) and multi-talented (session) drummer Peter Wildoer (e.g. Darkane, Non-Human Level, ex-Arch Enemy, ex-Majestic, Silver Seraph) he recorded Resurrection Macabre, with a total running time of fifty five minutes. And as from the first seconds of opening song Devouring Frenzy the band hammers with sardonic pleasure, as if they had never disappeared. With surgical precision, the members bring extremely powerful and brutal Death Metal with attention for technical experience (one of the main characterisations of the band). The Pestilence-flame still burns like it did more than fifteen years ago, and even though the album differs again from all former releases, it keeps the sublime elements from back then. The Thrash-injected Death Metal hymns do contain those progressive and sometimes eccentric elements from their 90’s-era, but the avant-garde and Jazz-influences have (luckily?) gone completely. The tempo varies a lot, as we’re used to, from slow over mid-tempo to pretty fast. But a new element is the presence of much more blast beats, another detail that makes this album sound heavier than ever before. And indeed, Resurrection Macabre may be Pestilence’s most intense album to date. It sounds old school, yet modern at the same time, but with a timeless creativity and spirit. Remark: the sound (mix / production) is not that well-balanced and much too clinical.
Oh yes, there’s a limited edition which includes three bonus tracks, which are re-recordings from a track from the three first albums.

87/100

Ivan Tibos.