There is a saying that there is no school like the old school and they don't come much old school than Pestilence. The bands roots can be traced all the way back to as early as 1986 and the inception of the Death Metal movement in Europe. The bands impact through their career can still be seen and heard today in the number of current day bands that have emulated their sound and quote them as direct influences. The world has however moved on from the days where 'Spheres' was considered ground breaking and the question is have Pestilence found themselves trapped in a time warp?

The simple answer is a resounding no! The Pestilence that called it a day back in 1994 bears no resemblance to the Pestilence of 2009, save long standing spokesman Patrick Mameli. With a new line-up has come a new attitude and certainly a new level of musicianship. For those who experienced 'Spheres' at the time of release will recall the albums adventure and daring crossing over fusion with Death Metal, which in today's world has become normality but 16 years ago was as common as unicorn shit. It is this visionary attitude Mameli has looked to build upon and make 'Resurrection Macabre' not so much a reflective experience but rather a journey into the unknown.

'Resurrection Macabre' is by no means unrecognizable verses previous Pestilence releases and the re-recording of 'Chemo Therapy', 'Out Of Body' and 'Lost Souls' is a nice touch and a link to the past. It is the new material however that will be of most interest and be the greatest continuous talking point as both new and old influences find their way into the music which will certainly alienate those fans looking for 'Testimony Of The Ancients' revisited. The crushing guitars, dark atmosphere and brutal vocals you'd associated with any Pestilence release are all present and accounted for, but it is the technical improvement in the musicianship that makes 'Resurrection' a stand alone release.

Mameli's time away from the Death Metal world has undoubtedly been spent honing his craft to such an extent that he can now write and record the type of Pestilence album he envisioned for 'Spheres' 16 years ago. Rest assured 'Resurrection Macabre' is no nostalgia trip feeding off the bands reputation built over 20 years ago. The album stands ably on it's own two feet and is Death Metal of the highest standard. For fans looking to relive the tape trading days of old my advice would be avert your ears from this record as the progression and development will only disappoint, but for those able and willing to see a new dawn for one of the genres true elder statesmen look no further. After all 15 years is a long time to wait!