Pestifer – Defeat Of The Nemesis Review

[Cover art by David Caryn]

Nothing quite reminds you of the vastness of the musical universe like finding a new-to-you band that is decidedly not new. My initial spin of Pestifer’s new EP Defeat of the Nemesis caused a very strong “Hey, this is a neat new band!” reaction, only for a quick trip over to Metal Archives to reveal that they’ve been around for nearly 20 years. But there’s also not much more exciting than “Hey, this is a neat band!” combined with “Hooray, back catalog!” Music is wonderful.

Anyhoo, Belgium’s Pestifer plays something that can most generally be described as technical death metal, but on Defeat of the Nemesis, their approach doesn’t fit squarely into any single corner or era of the style. They obviously owe quite a bit to the exploratory mentality of 90s Death and Cynic, but don’t often utilize the rhythm guitar aggression of the former or overtly futuristic sounds of the latter (other than lyrics that, um, focus on science fiction). They also lean into a lot of Opeth’s approach to building and releasing tension through interwoven harmonies and chord progressions, but do so in a more obviously skronky setting. And finally, while having a ton of melody and the occasional psychedelic vibes à la bands like Morbus Chron, Pestifer could not accurately be described as either melodeath or psychedelic death metal.

Rather, they’re a rather inspired, just-unique-enough blend, a trait that tends to help bands stand out in that aforementioned vast musical universe. Most importantly, Pestifer backs up what ‒ based on a quick sampling of past albums ‒ proves to be a consistent if deliberate movement into their own terrain with super tight tunes, killer performances, and a knack for making sounds that are somewhat musician’s metal feel downright catchy and infectious.

Catchy, infectious, and constantly in motion. Adrien Gustin’s bass, with its somewhat balanced but sometimes gleefully disorienting countermelodies, staccato pwongs, and overall consistent presence in every moment, positively dances; the guitars, with every snazzy and classy solo, faux-neoclassical Anata-ish melodies and hooks, and twitchier, riffier moments, are rather unpredictable; and the songwriting is likewise constantly shifting. The title track in particular makes great use of changing exactly what music plays over (or under?) rapid blasts and double-kick drum sections, never quite combining elements in conventional ways, but also never being pointlessly outlandish. Plus, the mid-range, charismatic, and percussive delivery of vocalist Jérôme Bernard is a delightful reminder that despite all those fluttering leads and shreddy exhibitions, this is death metal, and it means you harm.

Even when they spread their wings a bit on 8-minute closer “Draconian Daemon” with some wide interval, “slow Demilich” riffs, an almost excessively Opethian call-and-response motif, and entire extended prog freakout section, there’s a feeling that they’re just having fun and playing around. This is a band that, even with their current guitar tandem only being on board since 2017, sounds incredibly seasoned both as individual performers (the chops: they have ‘em) and as a full unit. The result: Defeat of the Nemesis is a maniacal and wicked way to spend 24 minutes. Now to get to that back catalog.