PESTILENCE - THE NETHERLANDS

Malleus Maleficarum – 1988 – Roadrunner
Consuming Impulse – 1989 – Roadrunner
Testimony Of The Ancients – 1991 - Roadrunner
Spheres – 1993 - Roadrunner
Chronicles Of The Scovrge – 2006 – Metal War
Resurrection Macabre – 2009 - Mascot
Doctrine – 2011 – Mascot
Obsideo – 2013 - Candlelight
Presence Of The Pest (Live At Dynamo Open Air 1992) – 2016 – Vic
Hadeon – 2018 – Hammerheart
Exitivm – 2021 - Agonia
Portals - 2025 - Agonia

Pestilence image
  
 
Members
Vocals
Martin Van Drunen>>Asphyx, Submission, Bolt Thrower, Grand Supreme Blood Court, Hail Of Bullets, Death By Dawn, Rotten Casket – PATRICK MAMELI [PATRIZIO MARCO GIOVANNI MAMELI]

Guitar
C-187, Necromorph, Neuromorph, Moordzucht>>PATRICK MAMELI [PATRIZIO MARCO GIOVANNI MAMELI]>>C-187, Necromorph, Neuromorph, Moordzucht – Sacrosanct, Lucifera>>Randy Meinhard>>Submission, Sacrosanct – Theriac>>Patrick Uterwijk – Aghora, Cynic, Order Of Ennead, Council Of The Fallen, Synkronizity>>Santiago Dobles>>Aghora, Synkronizity – Cavitation, Bloodphemy, Shinigami, Bleeding Gods>>Rutger Van Noordenburg>>Shinigami, Bleeding Gods


Bass
Patrick Mameli – Cynic, Atheist, C-187>>Tony Choy>>Cynic, Atheist, C-187, Synkronizity, Fire For Effect, Voracious Scourge, Synaptik – Obscura>>Jeroen Paul Thesseling>>Obscura, Nufutic, Quadvium, Ensemble Salazhar, Salazh Trio, Sadist – Cynic, Atheist, C-187, Synkronizity, Fire For Effect>>Tony Choy>>Voracious Scourge, Synaptik – Obscura>>Jeroen Paul Thesseling>>Obscura, Nufutic, Quadvium, Ensemble Salazhar, Salazh Trio, Projekt Tabun, Sadist – Common Grave, Dehydrated>>Georg Maier>>Common Grave, Neuromorph – Vicious Rumors, Paradox>>Tilen Hudrap>>Vicious Rumors, Paradox, UDO – Creepmime, Sinister, Dew-Scented, Cypher, I Chaos, Choreomaniac>>Joost Van Der Graaf>>Cypher, I Chaos, Choreomaniac

Drum
Sacrosanct>>Marco Foddis>>Sacrosanct – Demise, Gardens Of Obscurity, Armageddon, Agretator, Non-Human Level, Darkane, Electrocution 250, Silver Seraph, Time Requiem>>Peter Wildoer>>Darkane, Electrocution 250, James LaBrie, Non-Human Level – Brutus, The New Dominion, OneGodLess>>Yuma Van Eekelen>>Exivious, OneGodLess – Psycroptic, The Amenta, Ruins, Disseminate, Blood Duster>>David Haley>>Psycroptic, The Amenta, Ruins, Abramelin, Consummation, King, Faustian, Consummation, CrisisAct, Werewolves, Dreamless Veil – Celest, CodeRed, Autokrator, The Thirteenth Sun, Neuromorph, Indian Fall, Spectral>>Septimiu Hărşan>>CodeRed, The Thirteenth Sun, Neuromorph, Indian Fall – Katafalk, Toxocara, Prostitute Disfigurement, Detonation, As it Burns, God Dethroned, Apophys, Dew-Scented, Bleeding Gods, Aran Angmar, Tyranthrope>>MICHIEL VAN DER PLICHT>>Aran Angmar, Tyranthrope





History & Biography
This early thrash metal band out of Enschede, The Netherlands was founded by Reinhard and Mameli in mid-1986. The group changed members, became more technical and having lost interest in metal, in favour of jazz and fusion, Patrick Mameli disbanded in 1994. As is usual the itch needed to be scratched and a new version of Pestilence began spreading its disease in 2008 after the failure of Mameli’s (and Cynic members’) groove metal act C-187. This lasted until 2014. 2016 was the second return.

Pestilence delivered Dysentery in 1987. The line-up here was Patrick Mameli singing and handling the strings, guitarist Randy Meinhard and drummer Marco Foddis. Mameli would take over the vocals again following Van Drunen’s departure years later. The group followed that up with The Penance. Roadrunner snapped the underground favourites up, after placing a track on the Teutonic Invasion part II compilation - and issued its debut in late 1998. Martin Van Drunen had joined on vocals for the second demo. Consuming Impulse featured Patrick Uterwijk. The band was in Sweden in 1990 playing Bergslagsrocken festival alongside Morbid Angel and others. Nick Sagias of Canada’s Overthrow replaced Martin Van Drunen (who went to the heavier Asphyx), but did not last one season. He did play several shows with the Dutchmen. In the meantime, this rendered Overthrow history. Pestilence had a tour with Autopsy, which Morgoth and Bolt Thrower alternately opened. A couple of shows were cancelled for Pestilence due to Mameli suffering a concussion. A European tour with Death was cancelled owing to the Americans. Testimony Of The Ancients featured a more technical sound and had the band display a slight change of style. The cover sphere (which would make another appearance on the Spheres album and the reformation record) represented a mechanical machine acting as an omnipotent device signifying that God is man-made. American Tony Choy was on bass. A later tour of Pestilence and Cynic was unimpressive as the Dutch act emphasized electronics. The track Lost Souls inspired the Polish band of the same name. A tour with Death and Carcass was cut short amidst intra-band bickering. The band went to check out Morrisound and Van Drunen flew back to Europe. The group played at Eindhoven in 1992. Nembrionic Hammerdeath opened for Pestilence in 1993. Spheres was where the band felt metal was too primitive and the style had further changed. There were technical passages, fusion interludes and a synthesizer. Most importantly, Mameli had taken the microphone back. Uninterested in metal the band hung it up here. Mameli lived in the USA for a while. Martin Van Drunen was supposed to join bassist Jeroen Paul Thesseling in Projekt Tabun, but rescinded his participation at the last minute.

Chronicles Of The Scovrge featured the cover artwork the band had earmarked for its sophomore effort that Roadrunner had vetoed. The band was back, but had lost the wind in its sails and had to do with Mascot Records. This was Mameli’s band and an interchangeable cast of musicians-for-hire who would be in a dozen other bands simultaneously, and semi-labels, would come and go from now on. Patrick Uterwijk was back in 2009 and lasted five years however. The band was back playing brutal metal here. Tony Choy was again on bass and Peter Wildoer was on drums. Foddis was not back. Guitarist Patrick Uterwijk was to play with the band live only. The reformed Dutch band was forced to cancel its appearance at the Maryland Deathfest in 2009 after being detained at the U.S. border upon arrival. Patrick Mameli and guitarist Patrick Uterwijk were told that their paperwork was not complete. They were initially told that all was in order and to travel to the USA. The band was supporting its Resurrection Macabre album, which had contained several self-cover versions in one edition. The band toured Europe and played at Inferno festival in Oslo. Pestilence announced its first Canada/US tour in over 16 years for 2010. The 17-date tour was to kick off in Baltimore as part of the Maryland Deathfest at Sonar on May 30th and close at the Gramercy Theater in New York City on June 17th. Warbringer, Vital Remains, Enfold Darkness and Sacrificial Slaughter were to provide support. The band showcased a trendy and groovy sound on Doctrine. The band was booked to support Slayer in its homeland. In an interview, Mameli criticized the state of affairs regarding shows in the USA and called Van Drunen a “douchebag.” Van Drunen and Mameli had discussed a reunion back in 2000, but Mameli was against the old music and style so nothing had happened. The album’s theme revolved around man’s suppression through religion and politics. Van Drunen performed a few Pestilence songs on stage in the USA with Ritual Torture. Mameli was a guest on Megascavenger’s two-song 7″ EP entitled Songs Of Flesh. Patrick Mameli announced that Stephan Fimmers (Necrophagist) and Tim Yeung (Morbid Angel and Hate Eternal) had joined in 2012. The new two members were heard on Obsideo, which was given to Candlelight Records. It was produced by vocalist/guitarist Patrick Mameli. “We have gone beyond our human limits to achieve the highest form of brutal music,” claimed Mameli when discussing the album’s creation. “The musicianship is such high quality; it is really ten of the most demanding songs written in death metal.” The band was on hold so Mameli could focus on Neuromorph (initially Necromorph, which was the name of a Pestilence track) then. The jazzy group signed a deal with Imperative Music. This band made no money and Pestilence was back. Presence Of The Pest (Live At Dynamo Open Air 1992) was out in 2016 and obviously featured old recording. Guitarist Santiago Dobles, who played on the upcoming Hadeon album, left and was replaced by Calin Paraschiv who played in Necroville with the band’s drummer, Septimiu Hărşan. Prophetic Revelations 1987-1993 was a vinyl boxed set issued by Hammerheart Records in 2018. A US tour in 2018 was cancelled after Mameli was accused of perpetuating Zionist stereotypes for commenting on Donald Trump’s move of illegally moving the US embassy to Israel to Jerusalem. Tilen Hudrap was let go as he had little time to devote to the act. Necrovile’s Edward Negrea was in. Tilen joined UDO. The band went to Japan in 2019. Possessed and Pestilence announced a tour of North America for March 2020. The pandemic killed that idea. Mameli criticized social media in 2020 and did not see it as ironic or hypocritical that his band had a Facebook account. He also railed against the pandemic expressing his belief that it is over-rated! Lunarsea, Dark Tranquillity, Ihsahn, Pestilence and others were booked to play at Hard Rock Laager – festival 2020 in Estonia in July. A new record for June 2021 was announced in early that year. This record was originally due in November 2019 the year the band and label had signed.

Pestilence was touring South America on the Testimony Of The Ancients trek in early 2023. The revolving door of session members continued when the act and bass player Joost Van Der Graaf parted ways due to the cliched “personal reasons” in the middle of 2023. Bassist Roel Käller, from Netherlands-based K&F act Mayan, joined. Behemoth’s O Father, O Satan, O Svmmer 2024 European tour of July and August was to feature openers Testament, Gaerea or Pestilence depending on the dates and included stops at Dong Open Air, Rockstadt Extreme Fest and Wacken. Pestilence had a self-cover version album as well. A release called Levels Of Perception was out through Agonia Records in April 2024. The band had previously reached back into its olden toolbox as well. The band was touring Europe as headliners in April. Mameli ended 2024 by objecting to a group of fans objecting to AI artwork. He argued in favour of AI as an adequate artwork and a means to save money. Pestilence, Sinister and others were booked for Eternal Flame Metal Festival in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina taking place April 18 and 19, 2025. In the meantime, more line-up changes was happening. Max Blok (Alkaloid and Dark Fortress) joined and Rutger Van Noordenburg was out. The band was working on its studio album, Portals, which was expected to be released through Agonia Records in June 2025.

By the time you read this Pestilence is looking for a new line-up and musicians to join so those interested can always pre-apply.


Reviews

PESTILENCE - RESURRECTION MACABRE - MASCOT  
What does a man possessed by Satan sound like? Patrick Mameli of Pestilence comes close (although if you said George Bush or any number of US Republicrat politicians or worse corporate CEOs you’d be right too).
Pestilence’s reformation and return were not supposed to be attention-grabbers. The band had split up amidst a fiasco called Spheres, which was issued in 1993 to wild acclaim in major metal magazine circles. Safe to say it was a wimpy defilement of many thing the band had been and for which death metal stood. The group threw in the towel with this here Mameli pontificating about the shite that death metal and its fans were.
Lo and behold, apparently older does mean wiser. Pestilence - actually only Mameli and Cynic’s Tony Choy remain with the latter having played on the Testimony Of The Ancients album - is back and just like its feasting-on-gore countrymen has seen the light of brutality and metal. Now, of course, Mameli has seen the royalty statements of his jazz-cum-metal last album and knows what a disaster is, but there is no denying Resurrection Macabre’s brutal death metal assault. This album is true to its name with its chugging heavy riffing, bottom-heavy crunch and speedy drumming where Wildoer rides his high hat like a husband on his gold digging wife. Everyone knows the score. With the death metal substance and style being complete it is all the extras that propel this album to the higher echelons. Just hear the opening grunts of the album on Devouring Frenzy. The guys from Soilwork pissed their pants right there. Mameli sounds like his old self crossed with Seance’s Johan Larsson. The sole criticism one can level at the album is the overly repetitious riffing on certain songs. Tracks like Hate Suicide, Synthetic Grotesque and the title track are especially guilty parties. Some of the old technicality also comes through on tracks like Fiend or Synthetic Grotesque, but merged with the brutality there is very little one could legitimately complain about in that respect. My version of the CD features three older and rerecorded songs, namely Chemo Therapy, Out Of The Body and Lost Souls. - Ali “The Metallian"


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