Pestilence have not been getting a lot of love since their reunion a dozen years ago. This is their fifth album since 2009, which means there are more "new" Pestilence albums than "classic" ones, and mainman Patrick Mameli has been churning through members to keep the band staffed while he releases albums nobody seems to like. Recordings like Doctrine and Hadeon have not made any kind of positive impression, and so even though I am not really invested in this band, I eyed this new one with some apprehension.
Thankfully, I find myself really enjoying this one. Exitivm actually sounds like a Pestilence album, instead of a bad imitation. The production is better, for one thing, with some real heaviness to the riffing and good clarity without sacrificing punch. The riffs are good, and they are played with real flair. New band members seem to have really given Mameli a shot in the arm, as this album throttles waaaay back on the prog/jazz stylings and remembers to fucking kick some ass. You could tell someone this was the follow-up to Testimony of the Ancients and they might actually buy that, as this is a solid Death Metal album. Finally, the Pestilence reunion starts to seem like a good idea.
