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Pestilence - Resurrection Macabre review



Reviewer:
8.4

147 users:
7.09
Band: Pestilence
Album: Resurrection Macabre
Release date: March 2009


01. Devouring Frenzy
02. Horror Detox
03. Fiend
04. Hate Suicide
05. Synthetic Grotesque
06. Neuro Dissonance
07. Dehydrated II
08. Resurrection Macabre
09. HangMan
10. Y2H
11. In Sickness And Death
12. Chemo Therapy [bonus]
13. Out of the Body [bonus]
14. Lost Souls [bonus]

After being inactive for about 15 years Pestilence reunited in 2008. The only person who remained in their line-up was Patrick Mameli (vocals, guitar, songwriter) -(Tony Choy was a member of the band only for two years). When Mameli talked about the new album, he said it would be the "most brutal and technical" release of the band till now. And he was right. But this doesn't mean that Resurrection Macabre is also the band's best release.

I will start by mentioning the disadvantages of the album. The biggest one is the poor complexity in the songwriting. It's not that Resurrection Macabre doesn't have great songs. The problem is that most of the songs consist of just three riffs (one for the verses, one for the choruses and one more for the solos), something that often makes them sound boring. For example, "Synthetic Grotesque" consists of three amazing riffs, which after some time start being tiring, as the song lasts four minutes. A representative example is that the first riff played in that song runs for more than one minute. A lot of discussion has also taken part about the album's production, which is generally very good. The instruments sound very clear, but I have to confess that when hearing Resurrection Macabre with headphones, you may find the production shitty. I don't know why and it is most likely no one does.

Now about the good facts of this album. The riffs may be few and are repeated more than they should, but at least they are very good - generally, Mameli has managed to write really Sick music for this album. Another good thing about the album is the lyrics (in the classic Pestilence pattern, they talk about Death in most of the occasions), but in my opinion, the biggest advantage of Resurrection Macabre is Mameli's vocals. They are way more brutal than his growls in Testimony Of The Ancients and Spheres and manage to make the album sound really sick and violent. Even the way that the album opens is amazing: "Devouring Frenzy" does not start with music or effects, but with Mameli growling two times before the music begins!

In conclusion, we have a nice Death Metal release, Technical and Brutal. A good restart from Pestilence who should learn from their mistakes, especially in songwriting. I'll end by saying that if the riffs written for these 11 songs were used to create no more than 8 or 9 songs, Resurrection Macabre would be a killer album.

Best Songs: "Horror Detox", "Dehydrated II", "Devouring Frenzy" and "In Sickness & Death".


Rating breakdown
Performance: 10
Songwriting: 6
Originality: 8
Production: 9

Written by Deadmeat | 02.07.2009




Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.


Comments

Comments: 11   Visited by: 127 users
02.07.2009 - 11:23
AyΣm
Abyssal Zebra
I don't agree at all, I found this album so boring, we can't feel the good ol' Pestilence any more in this cd. Here we have a new release from Cannibal Corpse or the equivalent IMO. Yes it's technical and violent, but technicity and violence doesn't do everything in a band, this album shows it, whereas comparing with Spheres or Testimony of the Ancients, where there was an ambiance that only Pestilence could provide even if it wasn't so violent and so technical. Even the three songs they have re-released ( Out of the Body, Chemotherapy and Lost Souls) are horrible... I'm really disappointed about this cd...
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02.07.2009 - 14:46
Rating: 9
Deadmeat
Necrobutcher
Written by AyΣm on 02.07.2009 at 11:23

I don't agree at all, I found this album so boring, we can't feel the good ol' Pestilence any more in this cd. Here we have a new release from Cannibal Corpse or the equivalent IMO. Yes it's technical and violent, but technicity and violence doesn't do everything in a band, this album shows it, whereas comparing with Spheres or Testimony of the Ancients, where there was an ambiance that only Pestilence could provide even if it wasn't so violent and so technical. Even the three songs they have re-released ( Out of the Body, Chemotherapy and Lost Souls) are horrible... I'm really disappointed about this cd...

yeah you found it boring because you expected something like the old pestilence. but dont forget that only mameli is in the band from those pestilence. this piece has a (a bit) different target group...
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Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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02.07.2009 - 14:57
AyΣm
Abyssal Zebra
Yes you're right, I was amazing by the fact Pestilence could reunite. Their drummer is amazing, but he has a too much different playing style from the original drummer of Pestilence. Even if I listened that album without thinking it is Pestilence, I don't like it, as I said, we are close from a Cannibal Corpse release, not as ugly, but not too far...
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02.07.2009 - 15:01
Marcel Hubregtse
Grumpy Old Fuck
As you know I agree with you on this album.

And I agree with you when you say people who find this boring were longing for something like old Pestilence.
But come on, that expectation is totally unrealistic since we are 15 years on now, Patrick had left the metal scene for quite a long time and is also known to be a person who would do whatever he wants (just listen to C-187) he doesn't give a shit what people expect and want of him. Thank God for free thinkers such as Mameli in a scene which overflows by trend followers.
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Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal

Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight
Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.)
05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996

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02.07.2009 - 20:24
Rating: 9
Deadmeat
Necrobutcher
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 02.07.2009 at 15:01

As you know I agree with you on this album.

And I agree with you when you say people who find this boring were longing for something like old Pestilence.
But come on, that expectation is totally unrealistic since we are 15 years on now, Patrick had left the metal scene for quite a long time and is also known to be a person who would do whatever he wants (just listen to C-187) he doesn't give a shit what people expect and want of him. Thank God for free thinkers such as Mameli in a scene which overflows by trend followers.

yeah you are right but on the other side i saw an interview of him saying that the bad reaction of the fans in the Spheres album was one of the reasons why the disbanded. i find it wrong....he should continue if he had the guts. a band does not only exist for their fans... they are a band cause they like writing music and creating most of all..
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Υou've sold your human essence to the cold world of dead and empty things... You're SOLD!
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16.07.2009 - 13:58
Damnated
Churchburner
i definitely was looking for something like old Pestilence: original and fresh death metal. this album on the other hand is a prime example of boring modern death metal. brutal for the sake of being brutal, average riffs that are repeated to infinity, and drums that are just to loudly mixed.

and the album is completely forgettable. i heard it at least 4 times and not one riff stayed with me. perhaps that is the reason why i keep forgetting this album exists.
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Blessed is he that murders Christ in himself and in his fellow men.



Written by TheBigRossowski on 10.02.2009 at 16:01

if my wife and I can't conceive, I want a medical shipment of your sperm so our baby will be just like you.
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16.07.2009 - 16:13
Darkside Momo
Retired
Well I found it average at first too, but now I find it quite good actually...
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My Author's Blog (in French)


"You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you"

"I've lost too many years now
I'm stealing back my soul
I am awake"
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09.08.2009 - 01:29
Rating: 8
GamlaSonn

Awesome album.. but if you expected proggy DM, look away
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31.08.2009 - 14:29
Carnal

At first listen this album was also a boring atempt to be brutal and technical and found it very diferent from the Pestilence I knew. But after giving it a few more spins and seeing them live these song are Pestilence indeed. Ths one is a grower like all good music. Awesome album
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01.09.2009 - 13:16
Baz Anderson

Seems like a common trend. My first go through didn't give me much to remember - but after some more listens I think it's great. (apart from one song on there, can't remember which one, but it's still awful)
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31.10.2009 - 22:16
Rating: 10
NiederHaven

Fucking great album!
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