Pathology – Pathology

American brutal death metal band Pathology is returning in 2017 to unleash their next album to the world. It’s been 3 years since their last record, and while that might qualify as a normal wait for most bands, it feels like an eternity for Pathology, who released a new album every year between 2008-2014. Despite only having heard a subset of these records (“Legacy of the Ancients”, “Awaken To the Suffering”, and “Lords of Rephaim”), it is nonetheless clear that “Pathology” is incredibly true to the band’s vision. That means this record is a compact offering of brutal death metal, complete with gurgly vocals, heavily palm-muted and syncopated riffs, and mechanical-feeling drumming.

Even though this record is largely devoid of memorable moments, there is always an interesting riff being played. Pathology is certainly not a brutal death metal band that gets away with just being heavy; they actually compose crushing riffs, and they have so many of these riffs that they never feel stale. One thing the band excels at is writing slams. There aren’t a ton of them on this album, but when they do show up (such as on “Dissevered”), they are absolutely filthy. The band would benefit from incorporating more of these earth-shatteringly heavy moments into their music.

The production on this release manages to beat out most records from similar bands. Matti Way’s vocals are higher in the mix than one would typically expect, but he’s a far superior vocalist to most of his contemporaries so this isn’t a problem. It also keeps the drumming in check, as a lot of these bands tend to have a tinny crackling snare, but Dave Astor’s kit sounds like a more typical metal drumkit. The guitars, though downtuned, aren’t so low that they prevent you from deciphering the riffs. It helps that Pathology occasionally works their way up the fretboard instead of playing monotone sounding riffs.

Though “Pathology” brings nothing new to the table, it does continue to show why this band is among the best brutal death metal has to offer. The extra time off didn’t really make them any better, but more importantly, it didn’t make them any worse. This record is as consistent as can be, and any fan of slamming, gurgling, chunky death metal will dig “Pathology”.

Be sure to check out and like Pathology on Facebook!

Highlights

All of it

Final Rating

3.8/5 or 76%. 

Written by Scott

Post Mortal Possession – Forest of the Damned

“Forest of the Damned” is the second EP from American death metal band Post Mortal Possession. Their first release was an entertaining slab of death metal, and the follow-up isn’t all that different in that regard. For those new to the band, they unleash plenty of riffs that show off some skill beyond the simple tremolo-picked progressions that a lot of death metal bands use (not to disparage those riffs, as they rule too, and Post Mortal Possession does use a few of them). Some of the more technical riffs feature short palm-muted runs up or down the fretboard. The drumming is similarly complicated to match this wizardry. Whether through double bass, blast beats, or some insane fills, Post Mortal Possession’s drummer ensures you know just how good he is.

One area where “Forest of the Damned” does differ from its predecessor (or at least my recollection of it) is in its vocal approach. On this release, the band’s growler takes somewhat of a one-dimensional, brutal death metal approach. This fits the occasions where the band implements some chuggier riffs, but it does feel like a bit of a downgrade. Unfortunately, the songwriting does also feel like it has regressed slightly. Having gone through this EP a number of times, there is not much to be said for memorability. 

To be fair to Post Mortal Possession, modern death metal never has (and sadly never will be) about how catchy something is. So in that regard, the band is successful in providing a near-30 minute disc of brutality, aggression, and riffs. As something to throw on and headbang to, “Forest of the Damned” gets the job done. It’s certainly not as derivative as some other bands in this style, but it also fails to grab me like a select number of bands have done. Regardless, if you like death metal, there are more than enough worthwhile riffs on this release to keep you occupied.

Be sure to check out and like Post Mortal Possession on Facebook!

Highlights

All/none

Final Rating

3.5/5 or 70%. 

Written by Scott