PESTILENCE “Testimony Of The Ancients” /LP/

The first re-release of the third full-length studio album by legendary Dutch Death Metal band.
After releasing the now-timeless classic “Consuming Impulse” in 1989, Pestilence was faced with the necessity of replacing a notable member, vocalist Martin van Drunen, following his departure to pursue a career with Asphyx. The band found themselves at the crossroads with an uneasy task, given the success brought about by “Consuming Impulse”. As it turns out, the decision to revert to Patrick Mameli as vocalist not only stood the test of time, but, in hindsight, gave birth to a trademark ingredient of Pestilence’s core sound formula. To make things even more interesting, Mameli stepped away from playing bass, from now on assuming the double role of guitarist/vocalist, and enlisted Tony Choy (of Cyinc at the time), adding another famed name to the line-up, and another anchor point for the band’s inventive nature. Alongside Patrick Uterwijk (guitars) and Marco Foddis (drums), they recorded "Testimony Of The Ancients" (1991) at the legendary Morrissound Studios, where it acquired a refined production, courtesy of Scott Burns.
"Testimony of the Ancients" is regarded as a Progressive Death Metal classic from the originators of the genre. In comparison with the first three Pestilence albums, the material wasn't as abrasive, the musicianship matured, and the band’s previously found innovate technical accretions, rose to new, ingenious levels. Mameli steered the band towards a more Melodic and Technical approach, expanding on the Death Metal sound of its predecessor, "Consuming Impulse". The resulting concept album, "Testimony Of The Ancients" contrasted Brutal Death Metal riffs with Melodic interludes. After each song on the album, there was an instrumental outro track. This attempt to push the boundaries of Death Metal, at a time when the scene was saturated with copycat "one track minded" bands, mirrored the efforts of fellow Progressive bands Atheist and Death, who released "Unquestionable Presence" and "Human" respectively in 1991, the same year as "Testimony Of The Ancients".
The album can also be seen as a stepping stone on the way to the following Pestilence album, "Spheres", which departed still further from traditional Death Metal and headed towards Jazz/Fusion.
At the time of the album’s release, the demand for Pestilence elevated as never before and entailed massive touring; noteworthy is the band’s lauded performance at the Dynamo Open Air Festival from that period.
Re-press 2022 on black vinyl with gold stamped cover and gatefold insert.
Hammerheart Records, 1991/2017/2022 (HHR 2017-15). Made in Netherlands. Pressed in Czech.


Tracklist:

Side A
1. The Secrecies of Horror 4:55
2. Bitterness 0:31
3. Twisted Truth 4:02
4. Darkening 0:30
5. Lost Souls 3:40
6. Blood 0:28
7. Land of Tears 4:47
8. Free Us Form Temptation 0:31

Side B
1. Prophetic Revelations 5:20
2. Impure 1:00
3. Testimony 3:51
4. Soulless 0:31
5. Presence of The Dead 5:50
6. Mindwarp 0:25
7. Stigmatized 5:25
8. In Sorrow 1:08

Total playing time: 42:54 min.


Samples: https://agoniarecords.bandcamp.com