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
Amgod
Pestilence Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On thou knees and repent
Confess for I'm the new hurt
Also known as the blackest serpent
I am the universal dogma
Repudiate ancient forefathers of believe
I am the universal dogma
Structured hypnotism of the mind
Empowers the ancient ones to suppress
The corpus of doctrine I spit
With passion and fury I state
The absolute truth conscious I hit
I am the universal dogma
Repudiate ancient forefathers of believe
I am the universal dogma
The system of symbols proclaimed
By the ancestral authority
As the truth now reclaimed
For it is I AM GOD /the new purity
I am the universal dogma
Repudiate ancient forefathers of believe
I am the universal dogma
The lyrics in Pestilence's song "Amgod" explore the theme of rebellion against traditional religious beliefs and the establishment of a new order. The opening lines of the song address the "fathers of the holy church" and urge them to confess and repent, for the singer is the "new hurt" and the "blackest serpent." Here, the singer is positioning themselves as a new authority figure who is here to uproot the old order and establish a new one. They go on to assert their own "universal dogma" and reject the ancient beliefs that came before.
The singer describes their own doctrine as a "structured hypnotism of the mind" that "empowers the ancient ones to suppress." This seems to suggest that the old ways of thinking were limiting and oppressive, while the new dogma is liberating and empowering. The singer declares that they speak the "absolute truth" and is conscious that they are hitting the truth with their claims.
Towards the end of the song, the singer asserts that they are "I AM GOD /the new purity," signaling a complete break with the old order and the establishment of an entirely new theology. Overall, the lyrics seem to be a challenge to traditional religious authority, urging individuals to reject old dogmas and embrace new ways of thinking.
Line by Line Meaning
Fathers of the holy church
Addressing the influential figures of the Christian faith
On thou knees and repent
Requesting them to confess and seek forgiveness for their sins
Confess for I'm the new hurt
Admit to the destruction caused by the new force
Also known as the blackest serpent
An evil entity compared to a venomous snake
I am the universal dogma
The ultimate belief system that overpowers all others
Repudiate ancient forefathers of believe
Reject the traditional beliefs and teachings
Structured hypnotism of the mind
A systematic manipulation of human psyche
Empowers the ancient ones to suppress
Gives strength to the old powers to keep control
The corpus of doctrine I spit
The teachings and beliefs I express
With passion and fury I state
Asserting the truth with strong emotions
The absolute truth conscious I hit
Hitting the universal truth that applies to everyone
The system of symbols proclaimed
The established system of religious symbols and icons
By the ancestral authority
Declared by the traditional, familial powers
As the truth now reclaimed
The truth resurfaces with this new force
For it is I AM GOD /the new purity
Claiming divinity as the new pure force
Contributed by Ellie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@TheHearthOfDark
the vocals are AWESOME!!! so passionate and desperate I love it!
@patrickmameli6718
the vocals are just over the top and I screamed my lungs out more than any other pestilence album. it's really special to me peeps. Maybe to to everybody's taste but Always true to myself.
@patrickmameli6718
not to everybody's taste...
@mindblown2538
But it's SO REAL!!! Thanks man!
@Tervehtijä
Everyone has their own taste.. i understand that. Personally i have always loved both singing style and lyrics on this album(aswell as others). It's really powerful and it reinforce the emotional impact of the singing! i love it.
Thanks for the great music you've and other guys have made Patrick.
@remisramosc
Amgod is one of my favorite Pestilence tracks since the reunion, such a pity it is not available on Spotify
@METALMAN-9
Звук УБИВАЕТ !!!это настоящий death metal альб !
👏🔊💀👹💥🆗❗🤘✝️
@heinzblassen4446
0:24 EEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAA ... genius \m/
@bjornvantoorn
From 1:20 that bas!!! Opened up for them they presented this album.. amazing drummer to! (Yuma!)
@clintonelliott9133
The vocalist sounds quite a bit like Chuck. I love it.