Used, but in good condition...

Once every few years an album comes along that just blows your drawers off (how's that for for a twist?!). PESTILENCE, a band I knew little about other than their name logo I had seen brandished across their record, hailed from Holland, a country where Thrash Metal seemed promising. I was assured I'd like the album and sometime in early 1988 I broke out my wallet and never regretted it. From the opening seconds to the closing of this magnificent album, PESTILENCE put the pedal to the metal (no pun) and shred everything in their path. "Anthropomorphia" kicks off the album in high gear, setting the tone for what I consider is some of the greatest pure Techno-Thrash ever written. The band's wild, dizzying riffing and savage guitar sound are just incredible. Produced well by Kalle Trapp, Malleus Maleficarum is a marvel of Death/Thrash genius. I honestly rate this as one of the three greatest Metal albums (of the Death/Thrash variety) ever released. Many of my friends at the time agreed and we all soon found ourselves playing the record into the dirt. It's been some 11 years since its release and I can say with full integrity that I'm still not tired of it! And I've played it with reasonable regularity just about every year since it came out. Yes, its that good. If you somehow missed it and are under the erroneous impression that the music and style are somehow outdated - think again! Malleus Maleficarum was built to last.

PESTILENCE, to me, were pioneers with this album. I remember thinking that if I ever formed a band they'd be my number one influence. The technical dexterity is incessant and as tight as pair of hot pants on a Spice Girl. The dueling lead guitar solos are truly amazing and Martin Van Drunen's vocal performance was a model of how it should have been done (though sadly, Martin elected to become more extreme afterward to the point of being almost intolerable!). My favorite tracks, which were hard to decide on since I loved everyone of them, were "Anthropomorphia", "Commandments", "Chemotherapy", and "Systematic Instruction". "Osculum Infame" is also a great acoustical number that is atmospherically doomy. Its pure genius from start to finish. At the time, I thought PESTILENCE were sure to become the next Gods of Death/Thrash Metal music. I'm sorry to say it never happened. The band changed it's sound and style dramatically on every one of their 4 albums, ending their run with a quite dismal affair called Spheres. Malleus Maleficarum however, still stands as one the most provocative releases of all time. A must have.



[ Discography ] 

---

Label: Roadrunner Records | Item Code: RCC 9519 | Country: Netherlands | Year: 1988 | Genre: Thrash Metal

This item is currently out of stock - this page is for archival purposes only!

Pestilence - Malleus Maleficarum Reviews - read/add | Total Reviews ( 0 )
Pestilence - Malleus Maleficarum Songs / Track Listing

* Check for more information on Google! *