There are multiple bands using this name.

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

DIVINITY
Pestilence Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

To reach the highest level of divinity
For the soul to live into infinity
One must obey the universal law
For Karma has you with a claw

We are the divine, devourer of souls
We are the entwined, kings of the black hole

Empowered by the hands of light
To discriminate the fiends of the night
The earthly opium distracts and persuades
Leaving the holy path straight
Into the flames

Divinity divinity

Into the black hole

We are the divine, devourer of souls
We are the entwined, kings of the black hole

This elite of entities in
It's highest of form
Judging the all there is with non human norm
Overseeing the spectrum of all time
Dividing the purest from the slime

We are the divine we are the divine

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Pestilence's song "Divinity" explore the concept of reaching a higher level of divinity and the consequences of not following the universal laws. The opening lines suggest that in order for the soul to attain eternal life, one must adhere to these laws, as the concept of karma is mentioned, implying that actions have consequences.

The next lines convey a sense of power and superiority, as the singers declare themselves "the divine" and "devourer of souls." They identify themselves as the rulers of the metaphorical black hole, a symbol of darkness and oblivion. This suggests that they possess a certain dominance over others, possibly in terms of their influence or ability to judge.

The following stanza discusses how the singers are enabled or empowered by the "hands of light." This suggests that they have the ability to discern or identify the evils or negative influences that exist within the realm of darkness. The mention of "earthly opium" implies a distraction or temptation that leads individuals away from the righteous path and into the flames of destruction.

The repetition of the phrase "Divinity divinity" emphasizes the idea of attaining a higher spiritual state. Moving into the next stanza, the singers reiterate their claim of being "the divine" and "devourer of souls." This reinforces their position of dominance, while "kings of the black hole" further emphasizes their power and control.

The penultimate stanza introduces the idea of the singers being an exclusive group or "elite of entities." They are depicted as having a superior form and are capable of judging everything, using a non-human or otherworldly perspective. Their role is to oversee the entire spectrum of existence, dividing that which is pure from the impure or unworthy.

Ultimately, the closure of the song reasserts their claim that they are "the divine." This serves as a final statement of their power and status, reasserting their authority as influential beings in the realm of divinity.

Line by Line Meaning

To reach the highest level of divinity
In order to achieve the ultimate state of godliness

For the soul to live into infinity
So that the soul can exist eternally

One must obey the universal law
It is necessary to follow the laws that govern the entire universe

For Karma has you with a claw
Because karma holds a tight grip on you

We are the divine, devourer of souls
We are godlike beings who consume and absorb souls

We are the entwined, kings of the black hole
We are intertwined beings who reign over the dark void

Empowered by the hands of light
Blessed and strengthened by divine forces

To discriminate the fiends of the night
To distinguish and separate the evil creatures of the darkness

The earthly opium distracts and persuades
Worldly pleasures and vices divert and influence

Leaving the holy path straight
Steering away from the righteous and sacred path

Into the flames
Into the destructive inferno