CONSUMING IMPULSE

PESTILENCE are known best as one of the original "progressive death metal" bands alongside DEATH, ATHEIST and CYNIC. But before that transition they were helping push the boundaries of extremity in music and have created an album that is even more brutal than any of the seminal releases in 1989 from Florida. Vocalist Martin Van Drunen, who would later be known for the Doomy Death metal band ASPHYX, provides a simply excruciating performance that exceeds the terrifying screams of OBITUARY's John Tardy. Quite a feat I must say. The music is very harsh and brutal featuring a mixture of fast and mid-paced songs comprised entirely of constantly grinding guitars, loud and merciless drums and pounding bass guitar that almost certainly feels to be the opposite of this site's focus.

While it doesn't strive for intricacy and depth in its delivery, it manages to create songs that make themselves known very clearly and many are definite standouts of old school death metal. At this time, the progressive aspect to death metal hadn't be explored that much yet so there is no way I can mark this down for being uncreative. It is very relevant to its time, and is very much a recommended piece of death metal. Although it may be tired to say that it's not going to appeal to a prog metal fan, it's just another one of those early albums from bands like this. I felt very convinced by its songwriting and although it's not much different in approach to most other bands of the time, it acquits itself more than adequately with little details that make the music worth coming back to.