Pathogenic Virulence – Scourged
Release Date: 31st July 2024
Label: Brutal Mind Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Slamming Brutal Death Metal
FFO: Abominable Putridity, Devourment, Disgorge, Defeated Sanity.
Review By: Eric Wilt
Pathogenic Virulence, a slamming brutal death metal band from London, UK, is set to release their second full length, Scourged, on 31 July. Anchored by Radu Vulpe, Pathogenic Virulence doesn’t set out to rewrite the book on slamming brutal death metal. Instead, the band has taken cues from their influences, bands like Abominable Putridity, Devourment, Disgorge, and Defeated Sanity and created a well written, catchy, and extremely palatable addition to the annals of the genre.
Fans of brutal death metal will admit that some bands’ music is so extreme and frantic that only a select few die-hards can appreciate it. Pathogenic Virulence is not one of these bands. They have a keen knack for songwriting, as can be heard on tracks like A Deity of Engorged Horror (which features the mighty Angel Ochoa) and Embryonic Predator. These are not niche songs. Rather, they are high quality death metal that anyone into extreme music is likely to enjoy. Other standout tracks are Caliginious Devourer and Guttural Suppuration, both of which mix the brutal and the slams perfectly.
While the songs are the stars of the show, the musicianship is worthy of note as well, especially the bass which is frenzied yet technical as can be heard in the brief breaks the other instruments take to allow the bass to shine.
While slamming brutal death metal isn’t the most popular subgenre of metal, Pathogenic Virulence is doing it as well as any band out there. I would not be surprised to see Scourged entice a new wave of listeners to see what they’ve been missing. At the very least, those who give the album a chance will be rewarded with a listening experience that is as satisfying as it is brutal.
(4 / 5)
