Pathology - The Time of Great Purification
These guys have been on one hell of a tear since signing to Victory in 2010. By my count, The Time of Great Purification makes three albums in just shy of three years. What’s remarkable about this run is all the lineup changes they’ve endured. This band has had more singers than Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and Van Gaylen combined! Well… maybe not that many, but it’s been a few. Luckily newest frontman Jonathan Huber (ex-I Declare War) appears here to stay, but this release does mark the departure of founding guitarist Tim Tiszczenko, leaving drummer Dave Astor (ex-Cattle Decapitation) as the sole original member. Rather than seeking a replacement, they’ve decided to forge on as a quartet. Fortunately guitarist Kevin Schwartz has more riffs and solos than Utah has Mormons, as he takes over as Astor’s writing/arrangement partner. Speaking of Astor, dude’s a fucking machine! His skill level reaches its apex on Purification, which boasts another immaculate production job via Daniel Castleman at Lambesis Studios. The group scourge through a half-hour of relentlessly punishing Death Metal like Bruce Lee used to take out bad guy henchmen. Huber’s inhumanly guttural growl and beastly pig grunts may not be for everyone (and by everyone I mean queers), but they’re most certainly for me. Don’t think of it as a voice, but as another instrument of torture through which the brutality is inflicted. Speaking of brutal, who wants pit riffs? Plenty here for everyone, but proceed with caution, as the monsters found on “Corporate Harvest,” “Remnants of Freedom,” and “A Bleak Future” may provoke bodily movement that causes permanent spinal damage. Overall, I think the band sounds tighter as a four-piece, although it may just be their individual growth as musicians. If there’s anything to complain about, it’s the lack of true standout cuts, yet the album as a whole has no weak spots whatsoever. Much of that may be due to the pace — 13 quick songs make for a quick record that sadly flies by before you know it. Still, Pathology just might be the best actual songwriters in the ultra-brutal market today. And they’re only getting better.
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