I've made mention lately that it gets harder to review bands of the same genre over and over again. I suppose that is part of the reason why innovation plays an important part of ratings on Metal Trenches: it makes an album easier to write about in a refreshing way. But sometimes an album manages to stick out and inspire words even without doing much that can really be called "new." Such is the case with Minneapolis, MN’s Pestifere. Primarily a black metal band, but also utilizing elements of death and thrash, these guys know how to take melodic BM to all the right places.
The band's sound has been compared to Sweden's Dissection, which is a fair enough parallel to draw. Pestifere have a similar perspective on folding melodeath riffs into dark tremolo lines. From the new school, UADA is another fine reference point with both groups utilizing great melodic hooks and deep, ominous growls. And unlike the trendier "post-black" groups, Pestifere use of melody doesn't mean a somewhat cheery post-rock vibe. No, as if the title wasn't sign enough, Hope Misery Death is still grim to the core. "Comorant Tree" alone is proof of this point.
The album has two primary modes: mournful introspection and aggressive death marches. While "Comorant Tree" is a strong example of the former, "Peregrine's Timbre" likes to straddle the line. It opens with a somewhat Opethian banger of a riff, but dabbles in moody interludes between battles. On a related note, Pestifere even lay a lovely acoustic folk instrumental in the form of "Dispirit" to show their more sensitive side. But my other favorite tracks are certainly "Suffer the Day" and "Mine is a Strange Prison." Such primal energy in the guitars and drums alike. Much like Taake, the band is able to tow the perfect line between taking me to an emotional center while still maintaining a snarl on my face.
If you like your black metal malevolent and aggressive, but also passionate and distinctive; Hope Misery Death is right up your alley. The band has a knack for giving each song its own identity while maintaining the key ingredients necessary for a traditional black metal record. And the shifts in mood and tone help it from just becoming another nameless, forgetable release in a genre that currently has no lack of new material to pull from. Pestifere are certainly another USBM group we should keep on our radar. Like UADA and Pale Chalice, they prove that despite our distance from the Scandinavian forefathers, time has allowed us to hone our craft to produce equally strong material.