Pestilential Shadows

Pestilential Shadows - Ephemeral
Seance Records, 2014
Genre: Black Metal

1. Throes
2. Mill of Discord
3. Fragments
4. Sorrow of Tongues
5. Hymn of Isolation & Suicide
6. Ephemeral
7. Expire








The new Pestilential Shadows is finally upon us and what an incredible experience it is. "Ephemeral" is such an immense journey, even though it is really shorter in length than the other albums. The songwriting is so on point that it just hits all the right emotions and feels so much more immense as a result. Once again under the Seance Records banner we have some extremely well designed album art that persists through the booklet. Unlike "Depths", though, the lyrics are easily read in a fairly standard font, but again, this does not impinge on the actual design of the album art.

For the album "Ephemeral", Pestilential Shadows has really upped the Atmospheric content in their music. They are keeping that Nazxul core as the back drop of their main sound, but here they inject a solid dose of Woods of Desolation and similar bands, but I feel Woods of Desolation is the main similarity, whether it's true or not for the authors of this album. However, rather than be primarily a somber experience, Pestilential Shadows has a serious edge to their sound and this is where I hear a bit of Erebus Enthroned in their writing, which should come as no surprise with Decay being the guitarist of that project too. Pestilential Shadows, to me, weaves the sound of these three major Australian bands into one absolutely engaging experience. They even manage to throw in some catchier moments like on the song "Sorrow of Tongues". Then there's the title track, which has one of the most emotional and engaging lead guitar moments around. This album really is on another level in terms of overall composition and design. I'm certain "Ephemeral" will really stand the test of time as a great album that I'll continue to return to again and again for years to come.

In my opinion, "Ephemeral" is a must have album. If you're a fan of this project already you, absolutely, will not be disappointed, but if you're new to listening to this band, then "Ephemeral" is probably the pinnacle of their efforts. It's not that back tracking into their catalog is a bad journey, but, for me, a lot of the other efforts tend to pale in comparison.

Pestilential Shadows & Corvus - Broken Spheres
Seance Records, 2012
Genre: Black Metal

Pestilential Shadows:
1. Dynasty of the Bones
Corvus:
2. Crowned in Fire











Corvus: ...coming eventually...
Pestilential Shadows:

After releasing the excellent album "Depths" they wasted no time in getting a split out there with fellow Australian band Corvus. This is released on 7" vinyl and limited to 250 copies. There's no hand-numbering, but there is a lyric sheet insert with the vinyl.

I love the title of the Pestilential Shadows song on here and made me wish it was part of a bigger concept. "Dynasty of the Bones" is, basically, a continuation of "Depths", but it feels a bit more raw. There's even some riffing that is far catchier and somewhat breaks from the atmospheric approach of their overall sound. I found this a pleasant addition musically, but the moment feels all too brief and wish they had used that a bit more. I always appreciate it when a band can throw some catchier riffs into a really atmospheric piece, because that is really hard to pull off. Either way "Dynasty of Bones" is another excellent song from Pestilential Shadows and I doubt those who enjoyed "Depths" will be disappointed by this track.

Pestilential Shadows - Depths
Seance Records, 2011
Genre: Black Metal

1. Lost Geists of the Sunlight Sphere
2. Tribulations of Man
3. Choirs Beyond the Blackened Stars
4. Architects of the Spear
5. Shrine
6. Poisoner
7. Putrid Earth
8. Depths







Just looking at this cover and layout immediately speaks of a change in the quality of product Pestilential Shadows is trying to convey. This began with "In Memorium, Ill Omen" where the musical process took on far more care and quality, seeking out more organic tones, which always sound more appealing to me. I think this approach has culminated with the release of "Depths", which is where the Pestilential Shadows discography really starts to take off for me. They really did an amazing job on this layout and really fits the overall feel of the music quite a bit. The booklet is really engaging to look through, unfortunately the font is difficult to read for the lyrics, but at the same time it really fits in terms of design. It gives this ghost like ethereal quality to the overall presentation, which works great.

Musically the best reference I can make is Nazxul's album "Iconoclast", which should come as no surprise since Balam played guitar on that and their session drummer Basilysk performed drums on that album as well, so naturally there will be some similarities. However, Pestilential Shadows isn't really a rip-off or anything that extreme, the atmosphere and feel of the music is actually quite different. At times it feels even darker and more primal to me. The project experiments with minimalism in tracks like "Choirs Beyond the Blackened Stars" which is over seven minutes of the same riff and drum beat, similar to what Horna has done at times and like Horna it manages to feel engaging the entire time. Naturally, not all songs are like this and most are far more varied in terms of Black Metal, but everything is extremely well arranged and feels like a cohesive album. They even throw in some lead guitar parts in some songs like "Poisoner" that just elevate the overall listening experience so much more.

"Depths" is an extremely well done album and it really matures the sound Pestilential Shadows has been trying to achieve since they began. I'm really glad Balam has stuck with real drums for this recording, because it really made a huge difference on the last album. It gives a much deeper experience to their music in my opinion. If you were a big fan of Nazxul's album "Iconoclast" then I would recommend this project quite a bit. "Depths" delves into darker territory at times and really builds off that core Nazxul sound while not being a complete re-listening of "Iconoclast". So, it's a highly recommended album from me and, frankly, rather unexpected given the work Pestilential Shadows has done up until now.

Pestilential Shadows - In Memorium, Ill Omen
Pulverised Records, 2009
Genre: Black Metal

1. Weapon Against the Sun
2. Beautiful Demise
3. With Serpents I Lay
4. Of Loss and Suffering Inherit
5. For Man and Heaven's Ruin
6. Sundered
7. Ecclesia Moriendi
8. Bathed in Ashes







It's been quite a few years since we've heard from Pestilential Shadows and in looking through the booklet it's rather apparent why that probably is... there have been some major line-up changes going on here. It seems Meririm left the band shortly after "Cursed" and Balam has taken over his vocal duties as well as playing guitar. Desolate and Wraith are still involved, but the biggest addition is an actual drummer! Here we enjoy the actual drum performance from Sorrow. This is a shift in their sound that really show cases how much better it is to have a live drummer behind the drums.

One of the other instantly noticeable aspects of this is how raw and stripped down everything seems to be on this album. The foreboding ambience that we enjoyed on prior albums is all but gone and this album is far more focused on a traditional approach to their Black Metal. They present some really solid riffs and a very good Black Metal atmosphere heavily rooted in the Scandinavian sound. This time they feel more akin to the likes of Ondskapt, with the odd moments of melodic riffing thrown in for good measure, something the likes of Ondskapt never does. This creates an interesting feel to their music, because most of it is really dark and sinister, but then these melodic passages hit and it creates this really soaring aspect to their music. This is, basically, what Balam brought to Nazxul, so you'll find a lot of similarities to "Iconoclast" when you listen to this.

While I miss some of the atmosphere of the earlier works, I do really like the way this album turned out. The production, strangely, feels more raw than the others, but that's how it goes with drums being added in a lot of times. The guitar tone is a lot better this time and feels a lot more organic in the mix, which is a really nice change. Balam proves to be a very capable vocalist, and frankly, a better vocalist for this style overall anyway.

In the end I hope Pestilential Shadows continues to perform with a real drummer. I'm also extremely curious to see where they go from here. Will they stick with this style in the more traditional approach? Forsaking atmosphere for more solid riffs? Or will they bring back the atmosphere and try to blend in more ear-catching riffs? Either way, I'm curious for what will be next.

Pestilential Shadows - Cursed
GoatoWarex, 2006
Genre: Black Metal

1. To Ruin
2. At One with the Void
3. Impaled by the Moon
4. Cursed
5. The Black Eucharist
6. Blood for the Master
7. My Scorn
8. And May Empyrion Fall
9. The Last Herald of God
10. Life Turned to Dust






After hearing "Impaled by the Moon" I was given a little bit more hope for this project and seeing one of the songs from that tape appear on this album gave me more hope for this release. Another factor contributing to this is the fact that Pestilential Shadows move beyond the two man band dynamic and have now added two more members. A second guitarist and dedicated bassist have joined the ranks and it has really served to flesh out their sound.

"Cursed" is a far more cohesive album compared to "Embrace After Death". It feels like every aspect of this album fits together much better. The songwriting also feels meaner and darker than before, which is a very welcome shift in their sound. The first half of the album is pretty consistently intense and feels like a darker Mysticum sort of blended with Naglfar-ish riffing, with some Diabolicum thrown in for good measure. However, after after the first instrumental piece "The Black Eucharist" the album takes a much slower and brooding term. Sure, there are still faster moments, but songs like "The Last Herald of God" generate a slow and ominous atmosphere. The way the album breaks up into sort of two chapters works pretty well and feels like a far more interesting journey into the world of Pestilential Shadows than their prior efforts.

This is, certainly, not a perfect album, but it really showcases that they are finally getting into a sound that really works for them. The guitars are still extremely thinned out, but I do like that this makes pretty decent room for the bass to be heard. The programmed drums sound kind of ridiculous, sometimes taking on the feel of the early 90's programmed drums like Mysticum used. They did a way better job with the vocal production this time around. "Embrace After Death" was horrific in the vocal department, but "Cursed" sits the vocals very nicely in the mix. They feel far more ominous and dark this time around, which really fits the general atmosphere of the album so much more.

In the end I think Pestilential Shadows is starting to find a good workflow for their music. You can't expect a band to do no wrong as they try to find their niche, but it looks like things are back on track for Pestilential Shadows if they can keep building on these ideas I think they'll eventually create something really excellent. I do enjoy the far more atmospheric feel of their riffing and I hope they continue to develop along these lines in the future.

Pestilential Shadows - Impaled by the Moon
Asphyxiate Recordings, 2005
Genre: Black Metal

1. Impaled by the Moon
2. Decay
3. Sombre Winter Death
4. Shell Rot












After their first debut on CD Pestilential Shadows promptly went back to the tape EP format. If this was my first experience with the project I would say maybe the tape EP works best for them, because as soon as we hit that first song it's a lot better than the music on the full-length. This tape has a pro-printed booklet and other sites list it is limited to 200 copies, but there is no limitation listed on the tape itself.

"Impaled by the Moon" opens with the title track and we are immediately treated to a faster more aggressive Pestilential Shadows than we've ever heard before. However, the songs do go back to that moodier and darker atmosphere that they are more known for. On this recording they managed to do a good job with the raw production value, in this case it is adding to the overall atmosphere of the recording instead of detracting from it. The recording doesn't feel overly thin, it's still thin, just not so much that it feels like nothing is there. The guitar tone is a bit more cleaned up as well, which I appreciate quite a bit. The music also feels a lot more up front in the mix this time around. They've also put enough reverb and saturation or distortion on the vocals so that the vocals sound pretty good in this mix. They really fit the feel of the music a lot more this time around.

The song writing for this EP is far more similar to "Putrify", but with an injection of faster moments to up the intensity level a little bit. Songs like "Sombre Winter Death", pretty much exemplify their title and it's more of that mid-paced style of Black Metal that has a more melancholic atmosphere. This time, even though it is over ten minutes, it manages to keep my attention. Unlike "Embrace After Death" I feel like the song writing, overall, has been markedly improved and so this EP is a far more enjoyable listen. We'll see how things go by the time the next full-length rolls around. I really hope the project sorts out some of these inconsistency issues and makes something solid.

Pestilential Shadows - Embrace After Death
Asphyxiate Recordings, 2005
Genre: Black Metal

Part I: The Fate
1. The Pestilential Shadow
2. Plague Eclipse
3. Church Incinerate MMIII
4. The Fate of All that Lives Pt. II
5. Eternal Decomposition
Part II:
6. Haunting Gallows
7. Of Earth & Eerie
8. Forever Dark
Putrify:
9. Sentinel of the Epidemic
10. Amongst Famine
11. Putrify
12. The Delusion Trail

After an intriguing EP with "Putrify", Pestilential Shadows wasted no time in getting to their debut full-length. This was originally released as a CDr by Dark Icon Productions in 2004, but the most readily available edition seems to be the Asphyxiate Recordings version which features "Putrify" as bonus material. So, it's really worth getting the Asphyxiate Recordings version for sure.

The album is actually subtitled "The Fate of All that Lives II", which references their first demo from 2003. They don't re-record any material from this original demo or anything, so this recording is entirely new and different. One thing that strikes you immediately is how thin and lo-fi the overall production quality is. "Putrify" wasn't all that different, but for a full-length it was somewhat surprising. For the most part they manage to make it work, but I'm sure these drums are programmed now that they're a little more balanced in the mix. Even then, it's weird all of the music feels pretty far away, which has its plus and minuses. Now the vocals sit far more in the front of the mix and we realize that the vocals are not particularly great. They seem similar to Rob Darken of Graveland, who doesn't have impressive vocals, but it works in his project... they don't work so much here.

Musically this album feels a bit over-long... frankly the experience tends to drag on and you stop paying attention to it after a while. The riffs don't really grab your attention, at least not like some of them did on "Putrify". Musically everything is just pretty good, it doesn't stand out, but it's not awful either. Sometimes the production can really get in the way, such as when the acoustic styled track "Eternal Decomposition", the guitar is heavily marred by the production. It's almost like the mastering compressor was way too loud and so you get this annoying hiss. That hiss actually persists through the entire recording and becomes obvious when things get quieter. I felt like the first two songs on "Putrify" were far darker than the songs on here and things felt deeper in the overall production, not thinner.

This is only first full-length from Pestilential Shadows so they'll eventually sort their sound out. For now this debut kind of falls flat and doesn't garner the interest I expected after hearing "Putrify". It's a real shame, because I had rather high hopes for this album, but if you're more familiar with Pestilential Shadows later discography, then you might want to stick with that unless you're a completionist like me.

Pestilential Shadows - Putrify
GoatoWarex, 2003
Genre: Black Metal

1. Sentinel of the Epidemic
2. Amongst Famine
3. Putrify
4. The Delusion Trail












I missed out on the very first demo from Pestilential Shadows, so my collection really begins here with "Putrify". I missed out on this demo and had to track it down way after it came out, which surprises me because I was keeping up with the GoatoWarex label in the early 2000's as they always put out fairly good Black Metal. I didn't get into this project into quite a few years after it started and I think I found them when I was looking up who was currently involved in Nazxul when they put out the "Iconoclast" album. When I first heard Pestilential's third album, I was hooked and back tracked from there. So here we have "Putrify" their first EP of only four songs published on tape with a pro-printed booklet. I'm sure it's been limited in some capacity, but that's not listed anywhere.

Even if I hadn't heard this projects later material first "Putrify" would have gotten me fairly interested in what they were doing. Even going back this far you can plainly hear what Balam brought to Nazxul in terms of guitar work. "Putrify" is a very mid-paced style of Black Metal, but it generates such a soaring yet bleak atmosphere to the point where the music is actually extremely engaging. There's this underlying darkness in the writing, but then sometimes these lead sections flow in and are actually really wonderful in the mix. There are only two members listed on this tape, so they either programmed drums or had someone do session drums. The drums are pretty buried in the mix so it's tough to tell, they sound real enough I think.

In the end, I'm definitely interested in seeing where the band goes from here. The first two tracks are the best tracks, in my opinion. The title track is just a guitar instrumental and "The Delusional Trail" is a pretty epic length 10 minute plus track, but it just doesn't have the same impact as the first two songs for some reason. So, "Putrify" is a pretty good first venture into this project and I think its worth checking out.