1) Pestilence is a death m… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple bands using this name.
1) Pestilence is a death metal band from Enschede, The Netherlands founded in 1986. Later they incorporated more jazz and fusion elements into their music. They released four albums before disbanding in order to pursue other musical directions in 1994. Pestilence reformed in 2008 and released their album 'Resurrection Macabre' a year later in March. In late April 2011, the band released 'Doctrine'.
Pestilence started in the Netherlands in mid 1986 as a thrash metal band. The lineup, consisting of Patrick Mameli (guitar, vocals), Randy Meinhard (guitar), and Marco Foddis (drums), recorded two demos before gaining the attention of Roadrunner Records. After the first demo, Martin van Drunen (bass, vocals) joined them. These two demos - Dysentery (1986) and The Penance (1987) - are raw, sounding mostly like a cross between Possessed and Schizophrenia-era Sepultura. After signing to Roadrunner Records, Pestilence released their debut album titled Malleus Maleficarum in 1988, further refining their approach to thrash metal. The new material was tighter and more focused than the demos. Shortly thereafter, guitarist Randy Meinhard left the band to pursue other musical goals in a new band named Sacrosanct.
Meanwhile, Pestilence recruited a new guitar player by the name of Patrick Uterwijk. In 1989, the band released their second album Consuming Impulse, which was a turn toward to death metal. From a musical standpoint, things became heavier and more haunting. Vocally, Martin van Drunen moved away from cleaner vocals in favour of a more acidic growl. With its release, Pestilence gained international attention, highly regarded worldwide by death metal fans. But before a follow-up album was released, the lineup changed once again; vocalist and bassist Martin van Drunen departed to front Asphyx.
Pestilence were faced again with the challenge of replacing a member, being without a vocalist and bassist. So while recording their third album Testimony Of The Ancients (1991), 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. With this lineup, they released the album Testimony Of The Ancients. The new material was not as abrasive as the previous albums, but the band's musicianship has obviously grown and the album had the best production job of the band's catalogue.
However, Tony Choy was never a permanent member, and ended up going back to Florida to eventually play with Atheist. In the meantime, Pestilence enlisted the talents of Jeroen Paul Thesseling (Obscura).
Over the years, the Pestilence members were getting into other forms of music, primarily jazz fusion which, the band wanted to pair with metal. The band's fourth and final album, Spheres was released in 1993. With every album, Pestilence went through some kind of a change and Spheres was no exception. Pestilence mixed jazz fusion elements into their death metal style, and used guitar synths throughout the album.
Pestilence's popularity had risen with the release of each album, but unfortunately, so did tensions between the members. So after a short period of time, the band unanimously decided to split up, feeling they had reached their creative climax.
In 1994, Roadrunner released one last CD from Pestilence: a best-of titled Mind Reflections, containing tracks from all four albums, plus the rare song "Hatred Within" (originally released on the Teutonic Invasion Part II compilation) and six unreleased live tracks recorded in at the Dynamo Open Air Festival in 1992. In 1998, Displeased Records re-released the debut album Malleus Maleficarum (which was originally never officially released in Europe), and included both demo recordings from 1986 and 1987. In 2006, Metal War Productions, working with Martin van Drunen, released Chronicles of the Scourge, containing two concert recordings and one unreleased bonus track. The two concerts are Live "Kix Festival" - Veghel, Holland (June 24, 1989) and Live Bochum, Germany (November 18, 1988). A bonus "rehearsal disc" was released with the first 1000 copies.
The band reformed in 2008. The new line up: founder Patrick Mameli (vocals, guitar), well known Tony Choy (bass) and drummer Peter Wildoer (Darkane, Non-Human Level and others). Their fifth album 'Resurrection Macabre' was released on the 16th of March 2009.
In October 2009, Jeroen Paul Thesseling re-joined Pestilence after fifteen years of separation from the band, replacing Tony Choy's bass position. However, Thesseling has maintained that he will remain the bassist of Obscura as well.
2) Pestilence was a short lived Death-Thrash band from Las Vegas, Nevada. They released one demo in 1987 called Infected. The band later changed its name to The Horde of Torment.
3) "Diseased Dungeon Noise" https://pestilentsynth.bandcamp.com/
4) Australian grind/crust band, released a demo in 1988
5) An underground trans artist from Tucson, Arizona
Absolution
Pestilence Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For it is I am God that giveth or takes
All hope of eternal life be gone
To the depths of the theological flames
Absolution, I giveth or take
Retribution, the branding of the fake
Baptizing the soul with love or hate
This is the beginning of where all it began
Absolution, I giveth or take
Retribution, the branding of the fake
Absolution
The utmost pure is what I seek
To have mercy on their souls
The feeble ones is what I reek
To deny absolution as judged by the crows
The lyrics of Pestilence's song "Absolution" delve into themes of divine power, judgment, and the ultimate fate of the mortal soul. The opening lines declare the singer's unreachability by humans, emphasizing their godlike status as the one who grants or withholds eternal life. They dismiss any hope of salvation and consign it to the depths of theological flames, symbolizing the extinguishing of any possibility for redemption.
The chorus of the song further emphasizes the duality of the singer's role, as they claim to both give and take absolution. This suggests a divine authority to forgive or condemn, as well as a desire for retribution against those perceived as fake or unworthy.
The second verse introduces the notion of baptizing the soul with either love or hate, highlighting the contrasting forces that determine one's destiny. It also hints at the origins of these cosmic judgements, suggesting that this is the beginning of it all. The chorus is repeated, emphasizing the singer's power to grant or deny absolution, and further condemning the feeble ones who are judged by the crows, symbolizing their ultimate damnation.
Overall, the lyrics of "Absolution" explore the themes of divine power, judgment, and the repercussions of one's actions on their eternal fate. It delves into the dichotomy of granting salvation or retribution, and emphasizes the singer's godlike authority in deciding the destiny of mortals.
Line by Line Meaning
Unreachable by the mortal ones
Beyond the grasp of ordinary people
For it is I am God that giveth or takes
I, the divine entity, have the power to grant or strip away
All hope of eternal life be gone
Any chance of everlasting existence is eradicated
To the depths of the theological flames
Sent deep into the fires of theological damnation
Absolution, I giveth or take
I have the authority to grant forgiveness or withhold it
Retribution, the branding of the fake
Punishing those who are fraudulent in their beliefs
Baptizing the soul with love or hate
Immersing one's essence in either affection or animosity
This is the beginning of where all it began
Here lies the origin of it all
The utmost pure is what I seek
My pursuit is for absolute purity
To have mercy on their souls
To show compassion towards their spiritual beings
The feeble ones is what I reek
I am repelled by the weak-willed individuals
To deny absolution as judged by the crows
Rejecting forgiveness as determined by the impartial observers
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@CannibalBouetch
@adrian279 First singer was Martin Van Drunen on the first 2 albums. He also performed bass. The singer you ear on this track is Patrick Mameli who plays guitar in the band since day one and took over the vocal duties when Van Drunen left. Tony Choy filled in at bass. He played on the 3rd and 5th record. They had another bass player on the 4th record and it seems to me that he's the same guy that plays on the 6h (last) record..But I can't remember his name...Too lazy to google for no.Sorry lol
@zoltanrinhlua2524
Jeroen Paul Thesseling
@EDECO79
Fucking killer album. Very well written. Every song is catchy with excellent grooves.
@DerpySquirtle92
Unreachable by the mortal ones
For it is I AM GOD that giveth or takes
All hope of eternal life be gone
To the depths of the theological flames
Absolution - I giveth or take
Retribution - The branding of the fake
Baptizing the soul with love or hate
This is the beginning of where all it began
Absolution - I giveth or take
Retribution - The branding of the fake
The utmost pure is what I seek
To have mercy on their souls
The feeble ones is what I reek
To deny absolution as judged by the crows
@6ale6slayer6
HAIL PESTILENCEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!
@GrotesqueEpitaph
@6ale6slayer6 Yes indeed. \m/
@RomanOnTheDrum
very percussive sound)