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PESTILENCE
Exitivm

Agonia (2021)
Rating: 8/10

Pestilence, in whatever form they’ve taken (just like the likes of Atheist, Cynic, Nocturnus et al), have always been one of my favourite bands. Sadly, many don’t appreciate the progression and talent of such an outfit, with detractors just wanting these sorts of acts to churn out the same death metal grinds which made them successful in the late 80s and early 90s, but times change – as evidenced by every Pestilence release since their forming in the mid-80s.

Pestilence’s January 2018 album Hadeon certainly divided fans, but now we’re back – with a new line-up – on the cosmic slide for further adventures into the band’s world of galactic technicality.

After a short introduction, ‘Morbvs Propagationem’ runs wild on the senses, overloading the listener with strategic flashes of complexity and of course, that trademark dehydrated vocal of Patrick Mameli. You know that it’s Pestilence as soon as it hits; intricate waves of tech thrashing as furious leads flail, percussion strikes, worms and flits, and bass lines trundle beyond our understanding.

There’s no denying the thrashing brilliance of this opener with the sheer velocity and pace, and throughout the record there’s an ambience and atmosphere that brings to mind the epic qualities of the band’s earlier work Testimony Of The Ancients (1991).

In fact, through all the technical prowess the band presents, there’s such a vim about the whole record as evidenced on the fantastic ‘Deificvs’, where Michiel van der Plicht (ex-God Dethroned) hammers his kit like a cephalopod. And this remains one of the album’s most crushing aspects; a juggernaut of a track that maintains its aggression and is never watered down by complexity. But then again, Pestilence are masters of their trade.

‘Mortifervm’ churns with twisted riffery, hinting at Morbid Angel perversity as Mameli barks orders to the rumble of Joost van der Graaf’s (ex-Dew-Scented) bass, while that twin axe attack which highlights the talents of Rutger van Noordenburg (Bleeding Gods) and, of course, Pestilence mainman Mameli, is just mesmeric but scathing at the same time.

‘Inficiat’ features masterful chugging, that nods to the older, classic Pestilence sound but with those expected, quizzical and angular nuances as the pace slows. Meanwhile, the title track sticks to the old school death metal meanderings, which will please die-hard fans. The solos are impressive as always, so in a sense there’s an expected about the unexpected-ness of Pestilence.

Elsewhere, ‘Pericvlvm Externvm’ rages hard and aggressive even with its dissonance. It is tight, juddering and cosmically trained to the ear, while ‘Immortvos’ is symphonically wizened and blistering.

The whole album feels tight, dehydrated and certainly not as puzzling as some previous experimentation, and so the record doesn’t take too long to get into. The symphonic splashes add atmosphere and the progressive streaks are more than welcome. Riffs remain punishing and frenzied, and because tracks are relatively short – all running under four-minutes – there’s that concise, nifty feel to proceedings.

With Exitivm, Patrick Mameli and company flirt with that Hadeon sound, but this time round everything feels more cutting, steely and sharper. Also, the core sound of the album is maintained throughout, which may please the detractors who cowered away from the jazzier, prog leanings of some of the band’s previous offerings.

Exitivm is still Pestilence under that abrasive, at times, face-shredding guise, but in comparison to more diverse releases Pestilence’s latest platter is far narrower. And that’s a good thing, because the aggression and belligerence of the tracks shines through.

I won’t sound cheesy by saying this is a return to form, because in my opinion Pestilence has always been on form, but if you like technical death / thrash with high levels of potency then there’s no need to reach for the exit with album number nine.

Neil Arnold

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