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│ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │
│ │
│ │
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│ P R E S E N T S │
│ │
│ │
│ + Pestilence - Chronicles Of The Scourge + │
│ │
│ │
│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Information ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Release Date.Dec-27-2011 Encoder......L3.97 -V2 --vbr-new ║ │
│║ Genre........Death Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │
│║ Year.........2006 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Ripper.......The_Patriarch Songs........19 ║ │
│║ Covers.......Yes Url... http://pestilence.nl ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Notes ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Artist : Pestilence Rating : You Decide! ║ │
│║ Album : Chronicles Of The Scourge Label : Metal War ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Description : ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ It's pretty hard to imagine the downside of ║ │
│║ releasing a Pestilence live album, even if its ║ │
│║ almost two decades past due, and the live shows ║ │
│║ in question were recorded in the late 80s. In ║ │
│║ fact, if I kept a short list of live album ║ │
│║ demands from any metal acts, this is one that ║ │
│║ would be close to the top. And since Metal War ║ │
│║ was likely releasing this album straight to the ║ │
│║ collectors and old school death metal maniacs ║ │
│║ who were still lauding and supporting the ║ │
│║ Dutchmen after all these years (before the 2009 ║ │
│║ reunion effort Resurrection Macabre), one cannot ║ │
│║ really fault them for releasing these ║ │
│║ performances as is, with no modifications. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ But sadly, Chronicles of the Scourge turns into ║ │
│║ a double edged sword with regards to the actual ║ │
│║ quality of sound. The material here is culled ║ │
│║ from two live performances: the first (10 ║ │
│║ tracks) at Holland's 'Kix Festival' back in ║ │
│║ June, 1989, and the second (8 tracks) from an ║ │
│║ earlier German performance in November 1988. All ║ │
│║ the songs are very much identifiable to their ║ │
│║ source material, with a chunky and dark live ║ │
│║ tone, but having actually seen the band perform ║ │
│║ in North America back in the day, I can honestly ║ │
│║ say that the quality of the recording does not ║ │
│║ do them justice. For one, Van Drunen's vocals ║ │
│║ sound rather terrible on both performances, in ║ │
│║ particular the Dutch show, where he sounds a lot ║ │
│║ deeper and raspier, almost like another ║ │
│║ vocalist. His vocals are captured with more ║ │
│║ clarity on the German performance, but even then ║ │
│║ they don't sound all that great, and the overall ║ │
│║ tone of the band feels rather cruddy and blocky. ║ │
│║ The drums and guitars are audible, and something ║ │
│║ low that resembles a bass is racing along ║ │
│║ beneath them, but if I wasn't already intimately ║ │
│║ familiar with the band's earlier albums I would ║ │
│║ have a hard time following it all. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Since the band had limited material out in an ║ │
│║ official form back in these days, their set list ║ │
│║ was drawn from only the debut Malleus ║ │
│║ Maleficarum, with a few tracks from Consuming ║ │
│║ Impulse. This means a little of an overlap in ║ │
│║ the track listing, with "Parricide", "Chemo ║ │
│║ Therapy", Subordinate to the Domination", "Cycle ║ │
│║ of Existence", and "Antropomorphia" all ║ │
│║ appearing twice. To this extent, the more recent ║ │
│║ performance in Holland benefits from having some ║ │
│║ newer material: "Echoes of Death", "Out of the ║ │
│║ Body", "Suspended Animation" and "The Trauma", ║ │
│║ but they all sound rather raw and fresh, ║ │
│║ especially with the off-putting vocals. Though ║ │
│║ they don't benefit from Martin Van Drunen's ║ │
│║ presence, the live tracks added to the 1994 Mind ║ │
│║ Reflections compilation sound better than these ║ │
│║ in every imaginable way, so we'll have to just ║ │
│║ appreciate those until the inevitable reunion ║ │
│║ tour DVD/CD. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ However, Metal War were not negligent of this ║ │
│║ live compilation's rather limited appeal, and ║ │
│║ decided to include a few rarities that it might ║ │
│║ be more easily digested. This includes the raw ║ │
│║ and gritty instrumental "Consuming Impulse", ║ │
│║ which did not appear on the album, but is quite ║ │
│║ a tasty, menacing morsel, albeit rough (it seems ║ │
│║ parts of this track might have been dissected ║ │
│║ and reconfigured for the Resurrection Macabre ║ │
│║ album). Beyond this, they included an entire ║ │
│║ bonus disc called The Consuming Rehearsals from ║ │
│║ 1989 which is pretty cool, if extremely rugged, ║ │
│║ with the vocals difficult to make out. ║ │
│║ Interestingly, "Testimony of the Ancients" ║ │
│║ appears with the material that would actually ║ │
│║ appear on Consuming Impulse, as well as the ║ │
│║ "City of the Living Dead" acoustic intro that ║ │
│║ appears on one of the live performances. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Chronicles of the Scourge is sadly not the ║ │
│║ ultimate fan package Pestilence fans of old ║ │
│║ might have been awaiting, and not even a good ║ │
│║ one. But the label at least attempted to make it ║ │
│║ something other than a ripoff. The bonus ║ │
│║ rehearsal material is nice, the live material ║ │
│║ not so much, and nothing here would distract you ║ │
│║ from simply spinning Malleus Maleficarum or ║ │
│║ Consuming Impulse in its place, but if you're a ║ │
│║ collector of live or bootleg material from your ║ │
│║ favorite bands, it might be worth buying only ║ │
│║ for a sense of completion. Otherwise, just try ║ │
│║ and see the damn band live, even if YOU are a ║ │
│║ few decades over due. I hear they are back ║ │
│║ together... ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Tracklist ║ │
│╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ 01 - City of the Living Dead , Anthropomorphia [04:41] │
│ 02 - Parricide [04:10] │
│ 03 - Echoes of Death [04:25] │
│ 04 - Subordinate to the Domination [04:47] │
│ 05 - Commandments [05:33] │
│ 06 - Out of the Body [04:07] │
│ 07 - Chemotherapy [05:17] │
│ 08 - Cycle of Existence [03:45] │
│ 09 - Suspended Animation [03:21] │
│ 10 - The Trauma [03:22] │
│ 11 - Anthropomorphia [04:04] │
│ 12 - Parricide [03:48] │
│ 13 - Subordinate to the Domination [04:13] │
│ 14 - Cycle of Existence [03:20] │
│ 15 - Extreme Unction [01:43] │
│ 16 - Chemotherapy [04:52] │
│ 17 - Bacterial Surgery [05:06] │
│ 18 - Systematic Instruction [04:00] │
│ 19 - Consuming Impulse [03:45] │
│ │
│ Total Length : [78:19 minn │
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│ ╔═════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ Greetings To: ║ │
│ ╚═════════════════════╝ │
│ │
│ Too all people who contributes to make this │
│ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│■ ■│
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