Another re-activated ’80s/’90s metal act with only one original member left standing, you could be forgiven for thinking that Dutch Deathsters Pestilence are nothing more than a tribute act to themselves these days. Well, if new album Hadeon (Hammerheart) is anything to go by, then you’d actually be quite wrong.
After splitting up in 1994, founder member, guitarist/vocalist Patrick Mameli resurrected the band in 2008. The band broke up for the second time in 2014 when Mameli decided to concentrate on a new project called Neuromorph. However, after a change of heart in 2016, he re-reformed Pestilence, and after a couple more reshuffles in personnel, set to work on the follow-up to 2013’s Obsideo (Candlelight). Having already been released digitally in January to coincide with the start of their month-long European tour, March finally sees the physical release of Hadeon, and for those who decided to ignore the lure of the internet and wait for the nice, shiny disc to fall into their hands before listening, it will have been worth the wait.
As the familiar looking cover art suggests, Hadeon leans towards 1991’s Testimony of the Ancients, and Spheres (both Roadrunner) from 1993 for its inspiration, as well as their aptly titled 2009 comeback album Resurrection Macabre (Mascot). After a sci-fi style introduction, things kick off in some style with the rip-roaringly thrashy ‘Non-Physical Existent’, and the discordant, reality collapsing brilliance of ‘Multi-Dimensional’. ‘Oversoul’ and ‘Materialization’ keep up the pace while ‘Astral Projection’, ‘Discarnate Entity’, and (especially) the impressive, but also blatantly self-indulgent, ‘Subvisions’ send things spiraling into more bizarre Spheres territory. ‘Manifestations’ keeps things relatively straightforward, ‘Timeless’ plays with odd time signatures, and ‘Ultra Demons’ recalls the robotic Space Prog of Voivod, while ‘Layers of Reality’ and ‘Electro-Magnetic’ finish the album with a flourish of jet-propelled speed and technicality.
Although a highly enjoyable experience overall, there does seem to be a lack of direction in certain places, with some tracks either feeling a little too familiar or appearing to exist merely as vehicles to carry one riff to another without really going anywhere decisive. Occasionally straying into Spheres style jazz fruitiness, Hadeon is still a satisfyingly aggressive album with Mameli barking out the lyrics viciously while new drummer Septimiu Hărşan makes everything sound ridiculously simple, as does bass player Tilen Hudrap. Calin Paraschiv‘s guitar is sharp and jagged, and the production – like the record itself – is probably the best since their comeback in 2009.
8.0/10
GARY ALCOCK