Review by Alex Grindor on May 9, 2021.

Pestilence returns! One of the iconic names in progressive death metal will release their newest opus Exitivm in late June, so be ready.

After a near 3-minute intro, the assault goes on with full-force. Guitars twist and turn in harmony and chaos, all supported with pin-point precise drumming and a heavy bass sound that complements the pummeling of this beast. Vocals are executed by Mr. Mameli and he does his job quite right with his aggressive grunt. The music here is great prog death, with enough groove and brutality to enjoy at full volume. Patrick Mameli (the band's driving force and sole constant member) is a genius of guitar, mixing a wide amount of death, thrash, prog and jazz with the end result being an album with a constant variety in pace while not losing flow or coherence, with majestic guitar solos that complement the songs entirely.

But of course, the rest of the band are no slouch, as drummer Michiel van der Plicht (formerly of God Dethroned) shows his excellent drum-work with furious blasts and fills thrown here and there with surgical precision. Joost van der Graaf (ex-Creepmime and Dew-Scented) is an excellent bassist and his work shows throughout the record, adding that much needed weight to the sound. Rutger van Noordenburg (Ex-Bloodphemy and Cavitation) shares his guitar lead with Mameli, both complementing each other perfectly throught this record.

With 12 tracks (10 + intro and outro) this new Pestilence offering has something for every fan. If there is one minor complaint I have is the use of samples to either finish or start a song. Nothing particularly detracting but it does feel a bit overused after a while. That and the length of both intro and outro, which seems to be that way to add some more length to the record. Other than that, this kicks ass! After 35 years, Pestilence still delivers and with great quality, so stay tuned on June 25th for the release of Exitivm.

Rating: 9.2 out of 10