Review by Felix on December 7, 2019.

The first official publication of Pest contains four long songs with an average playtime of more than six minutes. I admire the courage of newcomers that do not eschew sprawling, unconventional song structures, but simultaneously I fear that they overestimate their own abilities. Thankfully, Pest cannot be blamed for having released an immature EP. Yet the songs leave room for optimization, because stirring parts alternate with rather ill-defined sections. Anyway, there can be no doubt that the gripping eruptions are in the majority.

If one disregards the fact that Pest deliver a relatively great amount of mid-paced sequences, the band plays typical black metal. Of course, music from the lightless catacombs is not necessarily always fast. Nonetheless, the usual Scandinavian approach tends to rapidity and the best parts of Blasphemy Is My Throne do not lack of velocity, too. One finds these parts in "Towards Desolation". The song scores with a catchy yet spooky guitar line at the beginning. It sounds as it has been found in the archives of Setherial, but this presumption is surely wrong. However, this opening marks the starting signal for a pretty furious track whose pitch-black atmosphere is aligned with the aura of the remaining pieces. The throaty voice and the sinister leads melt together with the effect that a touch of desperation wafts through the air.

Don't be fooled by the reasonably poetic song titles like "Along the Path of the Fallen". Pest manage the aesthetics of the sub-genre in a solid way, but any other form of art is unknown to them. The vexing elements of their last output (The Crowning Horror) have not yet crept in. Neither trite riffs of the NWOBHM nor black'n'roll excursions occur. The four pieces deliver pure black metal which profits from a dense and vicious sound. I don't think that one needs the most expensive hi-fi system in order to experience the malignancy of this output. Pest enjoy a certain degree of filth and don't give a damn about a clean mix. As a result, the sound is definitely not at risk of creating a sterile appearance. Instead, it offers an intensive adventure in its best moments, for example in the middle of the last track.

Black metal purists will enjoy the diabolic vibrations of the EP and the evenness of the song material. The attitude of the debutants is based on shabbiness and perfidy. Nevertheless, or just because of that fact they have a clear vision and do not even think about compromises. Apart from this, the two Swedish guys seem to have a good taste. Without copying albums like Darkthrone's "Total Death", the tracks of Pest seem to be influenced by some of the early works of the odd Norwegian duo. This is a pretty good reference, if I am not mistaken.

Rating: 7.8 out of 10