Pathology – Unholy Descent
Release Date: 17th May 2024
Label: Agonia Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Death Metal
FFO: Suffocation, Hour of Penance, Malignancy.
Review By: Eric Wilt
Pathology holds a soft spot in my heart as they, along with Disgorge and Abominable Putridity, are one of the first brutal death metal bands I ever listened to. The first album I purchased by Pathology was Age of Onset, and with its constant blast-beats, relentless guitars, and super-low gutturals, it blew me away. Up until that point, I had listened to plenty of death metal, but brutal death metal was an epiphany for me. Over the years I have delved deep into the subgenre, but I always find myself coming back to Pathology’s first few releases, especially Age of Onset.
On 17 May, drummer extraordinaire Dave Astor and Pathology are back with their new slab of death metal, Unholy Descent. Containing 13 tracks and performed by the same line-up as Pathology’s last two albums, it’s what you’d expect from modern Pathology. The guitars are thick and chunky, the drums are in your face, and the vocals bring new meaning to the word guttural. The production is slick and the cover art, courtesy of Pär Olofsson, is truly amazing. Overall, Unholy Descent is a good album filled with some blast-beats, some mid-paced chugging, some slams, and even some tasty solos. But saying that, it also feels like Unholy Descent is lacking that certain something that really makes a brutal death metal album stand out.
With enjoyable songs like Psychotronic Abominations, Archon, and Demons in the Aether, it’s clear that Pathology can still bring the death metal, but Unholy Descent feels almost tame compared to Pathology’s earlier albums and some of the other brutal death metal albums out there these days. Gone are the constant blast-beats and relentless guitars. In their place, Pathology has brought many more styles and techniques to the table. They’ve definitely broadened their idea of what a death metal song can be, but it feels like they’ve traded their feral intensity for more sophisticated song structure and a varied approach to the music.
Unholy Descent is by no means a bad album, but it’s, perhaps, not exactly a brutal death metal album. The songs are good and consistent, the musicianship is top-notch, and if you like what Pathology has been doing on their last few albums, you are sure to love what they are bringing on Unholy Descent. If, like me, you miss Pathology’s more brutal side, their latest release is still good for a few listens, and who knows, maybe their next album will be their most brutal one yet.
(3.5 / 5)
