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

The Predication
Pestilence Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Viatus qui legit
Et audit verba profeciem huius
Et servat eas omnias scripta sunt
Tempus enim prope est
Ecce venit cum nubibus
Et videre dium Omnis oculos
Et quieum bugerum
Et planget se super eum omnes tribus terrae

Etsi a manem
Ego sum alpha et omega
Principium et finis
Spicit dominus deus
Qui est et qui erat et qui venturus
Est omni potens
Et quirus et fui mortus et ecce sum vivens en saecula saeculorum
Et habia claves mortis et infernae
Scio ubi habitas
Ubi sedes est satanem
Et tenes nomen eum
Et non negasti fidem meam
Et in diebus illis
Antipas testis meus
Fidelis
Qui ucistus est apud vos
Ubi satanas habitat
Nihil horum timias clefasorus est
Ecce mis suus et diabulus aligos
Ex vobis in cartrem
Ut temteminis
Et habibitis
Gribulationem tiemus
Decem

Et subidelis Susteat mortem
Et... Corona vicem

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Pestilence's song "The Predication" speak of a coming judgment day. The first few lines are about someone reading and hearing the words of the prophecy and holding onto them because the time is near. Then, the lyrics talk about the coming of the Lord, who is seen by everyone, and all the tribes of the earth mourn because of him. The lyrics continue with the Lord identifying himself as "alpha and omega, the beginning and the end," and as the all-powerful God who was dead but is now living forevermore. The Lord declares that he holds the keys to death and hell and knows where Satan dwells.

The lyrics then move to talk about Antipas, who is referred to as a faithful witness who was killed among those where Satan dwells. The lyrics state that those who hold onto their faith will not fear the second death, but those who are disloyal will be subjected to it. The song concludes with the line "the crown is for the one who sustains death," suggesting that the faithful will receive a crown for their steadfastness in the face of death.

Line by Line Meaning

Viatus qui legit
Those who read and listen carefully

Et audit verba profeciem huius
And heed the words of this prophecy

Et servat eas omnias scripta sunt
And keep all that has been written

Tempus enim prope est
For the time is near

Ecce venit cum nubibus
Behold, he comes with the clouds

Et videre dium Omnis oculos
And every eye shall see him

Et quieum bugerum
Even those who pierced him

Et planget se super eum omnes tribus terrae
And all the tribes of the earth shall mourn

Etsi a manem
Even so, Amen

Ego sum alpha et omega
I am the Alpha and the Omega

Principium et finis
The beginning and the end