Pestilence – Doctrine

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Mascot Records
Produced by V. Santura

In some ways it is easy to feel sorry for Pestilence. Having established a healthy reputation with their late 80s thrash, evolving into full-on technical death metal, the band fell out of favour after losing singer/bassist Martin van Drunen, and then later releasing the much more prog-rock influenced Spheres. The band broke up shortly afterward, only to reform years later. Of course, with death metal listeners’ tastes in music ever evolving, Spheres probably has been re-evaluated years after its release.

Sadly, the same won’t ever be said for Doctrine, Pestilence’s second album since reforming in 2008. Whilst receiving a mixed reception, first reformation album Resurrection Macabre at least retained some of the approach the band’s classics had. The expectation, should Doctrine not follow this same path, would be the band at least try and get right what Spheres was trying to do. Doctrine is neither of these; instead it is an alarmingly slow and plodding death record with some pretension of being progressive, but not managing it in any shape or form. It manages to somehow sound stunted and limited, even suffocated, which is hardly how either technical nor progressive death metal should sound.

This would be fine if the band showed any of the technical or creative merits they are known for. Some of the guitar riffs do demonstrate some technicality on closer inspection, but not to the degree we’ve come to expect. More importantly, it doesn’t actually sound impressive. The drumming is rather lifeless, and whilst Jeroen Paul Thesseling does demonstrate some of his bass-playing talents, it seems restricted and arbitrary, even at conflict with the rest of the music. Patrick Mameli’s tortured cry can be an acquired taste to say the very least, but to be fair this is perhaps something Pestilence listeners are used to by now, so that can be let off slightly.

The compositions themselves sound bland, and rather ham-fisted, suggesting an overall lack of imagination in the songwriting process. It never evolves into anything, with pretty much the entire track list merging into one. There are some minor hopes of salvation, like the progressive suggestions that open Dissolve, but these are quickly countered by pretty embarrassing moments like Deception (Really, deception is a lie? Religion is bad? You don’t say….)

Mostly though, Doctrine is drastically lacking when compared to other technical death metal albums. Take a look at the recent works of their peers such as Atheist, the bands that have followed them, and new bands emerging everywhere. Even the band’s own members are producing significantly better material elsewhere, like Thesseling’s contributions to Obscura. There is a plentiful supply of technical death metal, and 99% of it sounds better than what Pestilence have to offer on this album. If Pestilence wish to retain any kind of respect beyond their back catalogue, they’ll need to up their game significantly from this trite effort.

“ stunted and limited ”

Tracklist: The Predication / Amgod / Doctrine / Salvation / Dissolve / Absolution / Sinister / Divinity / Deception / Malignant / Confusion

Written by James Donovan
More: 2011, Albums, Death Metal, Pestilence