CD review, Apr 07. Pestilence – Mind Reflections

Reviewed - 27.04.07

Right, this one is rather easy because basically it’s fucking awesome! The first two Pestilence albums, Malleus Maleficarum (1988) and Consuming Impulse (1989) are utter must haves in my book and I recommend them to anyone that thinks they like heavy music, especially thrash, death metal or anything heavier. After the first two releases the band lost bass player and vocalist Martin van Drunen and followed a more jazz fusion influenced death metal style (Testimony of the Ancients and Spheres, ‘91 and ‘93 respectively). The latter favoured by fans of the more mature and melodic musicianship of later death metal bands, whereas my heart lies with the earlier brutal stuff.

Mind Reflections then is a compilation spanning all four albums and a fine compilation it is too. Kicking in with my all time favourite, the classic that is Out Of the Body, Pestilence waste no time in proving that it is possible to keep the listener spellbound while also being uncompromisingly heavy. The drums just pound the accompaniment and the feel is that of a band thrashing like there really is no tomorrow. Von Drunen’s vocals really make the band as his guttural utterances surely come from somewhere unearthly. It is so vitally important that a Death Metal singer stamps his authority and both Von Drunen, and guitarist Patrick Mameli, who stepped up after Drunen’s departure, do this with style. That the guitar solos almost speak with sublime mastery is more icing on the cake.

Second track Twisted Truth, from Testimony, showcases the later melodic death style and while I might normally turn away from this, Mameli mixes melodic passages with required heaviness and the band retain the vibrant, captivating musical changes of earlier albums. For me it’s the crushing power and aggression of tracks like Parricide and Dehydrated from the first two albums that stand out more, but such is the quality of all of the music, you don’t think to press ‘forward’. Mind Reflections from Spheres has an almost VoiVod-ian ethereal quality, with occasional incorporated keyboard and fusion guitar solo which is a bit of a departure from previous thrashings, but is no slouch in the aggression stakes.

There are ten tracks culled from studio releases and a further six live tunes from Dynamo 1992, by the Testimony lineup. This means no Von Drunen, but the tracks are still and interesting listen for anyone familiar with the songs and a nice addition to the CD.

Highly recommended if you’re not sure where to start with Pestilence and if you have not heard the band before, I implore you to treat yourself to what is some of the most well respected, masterfully played and uncompromisingly brutal music in the field.