Dutch Death Metal legends Pestilence are back!

The start of Pestilence took place in the area of the Dutch/German border (Enschede) in 1986 and Pestilence started as a 3-piece Thrash Metal band. Pestilence released their debut album, “Malleus Maleficarum”, in 1988, further refining their approach to thrash metal, and becoming leading in the genre, being seen as one of the most intense and brutal bands. In 1989 released their second album, “Consuming Impulse”, a big turn towards the then buzzing Death Metal scene. With its release, Pestilence gained international attention and became highly regarded worldwide by death metal fans. So while recording their third album “Testimony of the Ancients”, they enlisted bassist Tony Choy, who at the time was playing with the technical death metal band Cynic and Patrick Mameli took over the vocal duties and released the classic Death Metal album “Testimony of the Ancients”. The band’s fourth album, “Spheres” was released in 1993. Pestilence started to mix jazz fusion elements into their Death Metal style, and used guitar synths throughout the album. Looking back it was just too far ahead of its time. So after a short period of time, the band unanimously decided to split up, feeling they had reached their creative climax.

A long period of inactivity ended in January 2008, when vocalist/guitarist Patrick Mameli told the Metal press that Pestilence were back. In 2008, Pestilence decided to write and record new music for an early 2009 titled “Resurrection Macabre”. The reformed Pestilence released another album entitled “Doctrine” in April 2011. Shortly after Patrick Mameli announced that Stephan Fimmers (Necrophagist) and Tim Yeung (Morbid Angel, Hate Eternal) joined. The new two members were also included in the recording session of the seventh Pestilence album, “Obsideo”. Patrick moved away from the albums most cherished by the fans “Consuming Impulse” and “Testimony of the Ancients”. In 2014, vocalist/guitarist Patrick Mameli announced that Pestilence was on a “permanent hold”. It seemed for now the Pestilence book was fully written and closed and he was on his way to do other forms of innovative, extreme Metal.

Early 2017 Hammerheart Records owner Guido Heijnens and Patrick Mameli has several very constructive meetings and decided to give the whole Pestilence history a glorious kick in the ass. The catalogue was taken under some serious re-construction ideas, fully reworking the classic four so-called Roadrunner albums, for deluxe re-issue on 2-CD and on high quality vinyl in top sounding quality, also leading to the idea to present the fans their ultimate wet dream, an old school set list for 2018.

Pestilence had extremely strong material ready and recorded a full new album titled “Hadeon” in Spacelab Studios in Germany in the Summer of 2017. This album will be released March 2018, as a follow up to the promised old school tour across Europe in January/February 2018. This album is in a way the return to the, by many fans, desired return to the old school of Death Metal, but obviously Mameli will not just duplicate, there is still that fresh and progressive touch. “Hadeon” is the return to form album, this is the album that could have been the follow-up to “Testimony of the Ancients”, a return to old school Death Metal, but of course with some innovation going on.

2018 brings many festival appearances and tours across the world.