by Hans Jaeger
Pathology are back and more contagious than ever. Pathology is a death-metal (death-core) band out of San Diego that has been tearing it up since 2006. Their aggressive in-your-face style is back in full force on their latest effort “The Time of Great Purification”.
The album opens strong with “Imprisoned by Fear”. Fast-paced and unrelenting guitars create a hostile atmosphere that stands up through the rest of the album. Surprisingly technical solos coupled with breakdowns throughout characterize the entirety of the album.
“Torment in Salvation” uses odd rhythms between lead and rhythm guitars that work wonderfully over the intense blast beats from former
Locust drummer David Astor. The song leads into a melodic fusion of a solo and breakdown.
At the other end of the death-metal spectrum we have songs like “A Bleak Future,” which offer the trademark chugging style guitars that any death-core fan will appreciate.
The final song on the album, “The Everlasting Plague” puts an exclamation mark on an already exhilarating serving of metal. The song explodes early on pummeling the senses with an onslaught of pulse pounding rhythms and blast beats. Just as fast as the album came on it stops dead in its tracks.
Vocally the album is solid. While nothing new is brought to the table by new comer Jonathan Huber, his deep growls work well with the rest of the band. I would like to see a bit more variety from his screams but otherwise it was a rock solid performance.
Pathology offer us an album that keeps true to their name and aggressive in every aspect. While not expected to win a Grammy, this is an album that feels like a breath of fresh air into the lungs of a waning generation.
Rating: 9/10