Regarding the band’s new album, Obsideo, PESTILENCE mainman Patrick Mameli has been quoted as saying, “The musicianship is such high quality; it is really ten of the most demanding songs written in death metal.” While that statement may have you believe that the band have written the most over the top technical masturbation of all time, Obsideo is actually a very straight forward and catchy album. It is most certainly technically proficient like all PESTILENCE albums but the song always comes first and there are no self-indulgent parts just for the sake of showing off musical skills.
Obsideo is easily better than its predecessor Doctrine. Simplicity finds a good marriage with complexity. Patrick Mameli’s vocal lines are thankfully a ton better this time around. New members drummer Dave Haley (PSYCROPTIC) and bassist George Maier are quality additions. Dave Haley is tight, fast, and has seamless drum parts. George Maier brings the bottom end and is stylistically very different from the departed Jeroen Paul Thesseling. Don’t expect the big bass farts or slides of the Jeroen.
Armed with 8-string guitars, the band incorporate a lot of dissonance, tempo changes, and lighting quick fretboard action. Some riffs/parts often sound eerily familiar though.
The bottom line is that Obsideo is pretty cool. It’s one of the catchiest death metal albums to come along recently. Is it a game changer? No. But it is a good return to form for one of the genre’s pioneers. (Candlelight Records)
