Review Summary: Near the end
Pathology are one of those bands that really haven't had an easy ride. With many of their members jumping ship after only a few albums, it's a miracle the band are still together after all the trials and tribulations they've faced.
The band's debut Surgically Hacked was one of the better goregrind records to emerge from the mid 2000's thanks to a more dynamic approach to songwriting and strong production, but it's follow up Incisions Of Perverse Debauchery wasn't nearly as good thanks to a trade of lead vocalists and recycling of everything else (right down to the cover art). Of course, it was the arrival of Abominable Putridity frontman Matti Way that made the band the brutal death titans they are today, but his first outing with the band, Age Of Onset, was remarkably unremarkable. Jonathan Huber (ex-I Declare War) replaced Way in 2011 after the much more consistent Legacy Of The Ancients and took part in the band's two best albums, Awaken To The Suffering and The Time Of Great Purification (the latter of which was the first and only time long time guitarist Tim Tiszchenko wasn't a member). Huber's vocals were a wormhole, sucking everything into a vacuum of obscene heaviness, and the production was top notch, putting just the right emphasis on the guitars for ultimate riff decimation.
With Way (and Tiszchenko) returning, things suddenly seemed a lot less exciting. Lords Of Rephaim was a massive step down in writing quality and vocal prowess (Way's grunt wasn't a patch on his previous performances) and I wasn't too excited for this either. Down to a three piece (no bassist), they've churned out yet another (one every year for the past six years) record of top-heavy riffs, incessant blast beats and indecipherable growls and squeals. There's very few moments to help distinguish between tracks in this record, and a focus on heaviness seems to have been the primary motif for the band this time round. It's certainly brutal, with pounding drums and huge, pulverising riffs, but it's not quite as impressive as it should be coming from a band now on their eight record.
But ultimately, this is pretty much the same album the band have been making for about five years now, and though this thing absolutely stomps at times (and is pretty reminiscent of the Huber days vocally) it's just another generic album by a band who have proven they can do much better. Perhaps taking a break to put out a really stellar album would reignite my interest in this band, but as it stands I want nothing more to do with this solid but unimaginative and slightly homogenous band. If you're looking for mindless brutality, look no further, but something more intelligent may be hard to find within the realm of Pathology's slam apocalypse.
