Pathogenic

So if you’re interested in what madness sounds like, just check out Pathogenic’s new E.P., “The Solipsist Dream.”

The Lowell, MA, quintet combines death-metal brutality, especially via Jake Burns’s vocals, and prog-metal experimentation for a sound that is as captivating as it is jarring. The band keeps a dark, heavy base intact across the five songs on “The Solipsist Dream,” and then builds contrasts against it. In “Tempest,” the dynamic shifts pop up like unexpected visitors _ a keyboard riff here, a guitar stutter there. In “A Piece of Hell,” the whole arrangement of the song expands and contracts, going from steady grooves to spastic jams to conjure a sense of shifting ground.

While the sonic terrain keeps changing, the thematic dread is consistent. These five songs are a mental breakdown on tape. It’s all a to-and-fro of lashing out and getting beaten back. There’s an anger in the opening “Albatross’ that transforms across the songs into a melancholy acknowledgement (the message here seems to be we’re all kinda screwed) in the epic title track that closes the E.P.

“The Solipsist Dream” is thick with ideas, and to its credit Pathogenic gives them all room to breathe without losing the tension of this coiled sound.

“The Solipsist Dream” will be available Oct. 12 online via Pathogenic’s Facebook page and at pathogenic.bandcamp.com

Pathogenic has a CD-release show Friday, Oct. 12, at the Dirty Douglas in Lowell, MA. It’s an 8 p.m. show with The Summoned, Conforza, Panic Candy, and Everything.

The band is also playing Saturday, Oct. 13, as part of the Rock and Shock festival bill at The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester, MA. Gwar is the headliner that night.

Pathogenic is also part of Live Free of Get Hurt fest happening Oct. 20 at The Junkyard, 522 Amherst St., Nashua, N.H. The show starts at 3 p.m. and also features Internal Bleeding, Fit For an Autopsy, Conforza, Teeth, Swarm of Eyes, and others. - N.E. Metal

So if you’re interested in what madness sounds like, just check out Pathogenic’s new E.P., “The Solipsist Dream.”

The Lowell, MA, quintet combines death-metal brutality, especially via Jake Burns’s vocals, and prog-metal experimentation for a sound that is as captivating as it is jarring. The band keeps a dark, heavy base intact across the five songs on “The Solipsist Dream,” and then builds contrasts against it. In “Tempest,” the dynamic shifts pop up like unexpected visitors _ a keyboard riff here, a guitar stutter there. In “A Piece of Hell,” the whole arrangement of the song expands and contracts, going from steady grooves to spastic jams to conjure a sense of shifting ground.

While the sonic terrain keeps changing, the thematic dread is consistent. These five songs are a mental breakdown on tape. It’s all a to-and-fro of lashing out and getting beaten back. There’s an anger in the opening “Albatross’ that transforms across the songs into a melancholy acknowledgement (the message here seems to be we’re all kinda screwed) in the epic title track that closes the E.P.

“The Solipsist Dream” is thick with ideas, and to its credit Pathogenic gives them all room to breathe without losing the tension of this coiled sound.

“The Solipsist Dream” will be available Oct. 12 online via Pathogenic’s Facebook page and at pathogenic.bandcamp.com

Pathogenic has a CD-release show Friday, Oct. 12, at the Dirty Douglas in Lowell, MA. It’s an 8 p.m. show with The Summoned, Conforza, Panic Candy, and Everything.

The band is also playing Saturday, Oct. 13, as part of the Rock and Shock festival bill at The Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester, MA. Gwar is the headliner that night.

Pathogenic is also part of Live Free of Get Hurt fest happening Oct. 20 at The Junkyard, 522 Amherst St., Nashua, N.H. The show starts at 3 p.m. and also features Internal Bleeding, Fit For an Autopsy, Conforza, Teeth, Swarm of Eyes, and others. - N.E. Metal

Guess what?
Massachusetts death metal outfit Pathogenic will independently release their sophomore offering The Solipsist Dream on October 12th, 2012. The album will contain five songs and will be available in both digital and CD formats.

Musically, The Solipsist Dream will take a stylistic departure from the band’s 2011 debut Cyclopean Imagery, eschewing clean vocals and attempting to capture a more raw and energetic atmosphere.

You can hear a new track from The Solipsist Dream at the end of this post. The song is called “Tempest” and you are only going to here it at Gun Shy Assassin, folks.

“We’re excited to put out this new material,” reports vocalist Jake Burns, whom we interviewed a while back. “This is definitely a step up for us and we think that people are going to like it.”

A CD release party has been booked at The Dirty Douglas in Lowell, Massachusetts, on October 12 and will feature support from The Summoned, Conforza and Panic Candy.

Pathogenic will also be featured at the Worcester Palladium’s Rock and Shock festival and will be going on tour in support of the album from October 12 through October 20 with New Hampshire heavyweights Conforza.

The Solipsist Dream boasts five tracks total, including “Albatross,” “Cobwebs We Keep,” “A Piece of Hell,” and the title track.

Pathogenic are awesome, and I am psyched for these dudes, who have shared the stage with a plethora of national acts such as Suffocation, Periphery, Dying Fetus and The Contortionist, at shows like The New England Metal and Hardcore festival and Worcester Deathfest.

Now listen to this dope new song. - Gun Shy Assasin

Guess what?
Massachusetts death metal outfit Pathogenic will independently release their sophomore offering The Solipsist Dream on October 12th, 2012. The album will contain five songs and will be available in both digital and CD formats.

Musically, The Solipsist Dream will take a stylistic departure from the band’s 2011 debut Cyclopean Imagery, eschewing clean vocals and attempting to capture a more raw and energetic atmosphere.

You can hear a new track from The Solipsist Dream at the end of this post. The song is called “Tempest” and you are only going to here it at Gun Shy Assassin, folks.

“We’re excited to put out this new material,” reports vocalist Jake Burns, whom we interviewed a while back. “This is definitely a step up for us and we think that people are going to like it.”

A CD release party has been booked at The Dirty Douglas in Lowell, Massachusetts, on October 12 and will feature support from The Summoned, Conforza and Panic Candy.

Pathogenic will also be featured at the Worcester Palladium’s Rock and Shock festival and will be going on tour in support of the album from October 12 through October 20 with New Hampshire heavyweights Conforza.

The Solipsist Dream boasts five tracks total, including “Albatross,” “Cobwebs We Keep,” “A Piece of Hell,” and the title track.

Pathogenic are awesome, and I am psyched for these dudes, who have shared the stage with a plethora of national acts such as Suffocation, Periphery, Dying Fetus and The Contortionist, at shows like The New England Metal and Hardcore festival and Worcester Deathfest.

Now listen to this dope new song. - Gun Shy Assasin

The result of a one-night stand between Meshuggah and Symphony X, Pathogenic’s Cyclopean Imagery is an ultra-technical, polyrhythmic exercise of not only music theory, but of the listener’s stamina. The question is not how long the album is, but of how your brain can formulate the complexities of progressive metal.

Of this strange hybrid of band influences, Cyclopean Imagery sounds less like Symphony X playing Meshuggah and more like Meshuggah playing Symphony X. The result is a severely technical recording, filled with insanely meticulous patterns, start-and-stop time signatures, and blistering atonal riffs. It is clear that Pathogenic has put a large emphasis on quality throughout the recording, as it sounds and feels great being played on a good car stereo.

This New England 6-man group has existed since 2004, and before this album there was only one other recording in existence, an EP from 2005. The band looks much younger than its musical capabilities, which are far more experienced than most bands out there today (alongside Animals as Leaders). The lower rating I’ve given Cyclopean Imagery (begrudgingly) has nothing to do with the energy and technicality this band displays. Unlike Animals as Leader’s excellent self-titled recording from last year, the diversity from track to track on Pathogenic’s release is non-discernable.

This is a tired but true complaint for most heavy metal albums, and one that is difficult to shake. Every song feels like a stack of polyrhythmic beats layered atop alternations of (very good) clean and dirty vocals. However, the fact that each song sounds like this is amazing; how Pathogenic can separate and memorize one song from the next reaffirms an appreciation of progressive metal, and the people who play it. This is a very good, yet pigeon-holed album you may or may not understand. - S.F.

The result of a one-night stand between Meshuggah and Symphony X, Pathogenic’s Cyclopean Imagery is an ultra-technical, polyrhythmic exercise of not only music theory, but of the listener’s stamina. The question is not how long the album is, but of how your brain can formulate the complexities of progressive metal.

Of this strange hybrid of band influences, Cyclopean Imagery sounds less like Symphony X playing Meshuggah and more like Meshuggah playing Symphony X. The result is a severely technical recording, filled with insanely meticulous patterns, start-and-stop time signatures, and blistering atonal riffs. It is clear that Pathogenic has put a large emphasis on quality throughout the recording, as it sounds and feels great being played on a good car stereo.

This New England 6-man group has existed since 2004, and before this album there was only one other recording in existence, an EP from 2005. The band looks much younger than its musical capabilities, which are far more experienced than most bands out there today (alongside Animals as Leaders). The lower rating I’ve given Cyclopean Imagery (begrudgingly) has nothing to do with the energy and technicality this band displays. Unlike Animals as Leader’s excellent self-titled recording from last year, the diversity from track to track on Pathogenic’s release is non-discernable.

This is a tired but true complaint for most heavy metal albums, and one that is difficult to shake. Every song feels like a stack of polyrhythmic beats layered atop alternations of (very good) clean and dirty vocals. However, the fact that each song sounds like this is amazing; how Pathogenic can separate and memorize one song from the next reaffirms an appreciation of progressive metal, and the people who play it. This is a very good, yet pigeon-holed album you may or may not understand. - S.F.

Have I got some intelligent shit for you today! It’s Djenty Progressive Metal from a city called Lowell, Massachusetts. I was half starting to get the idea that only British bands, and perhaps a few Australian ones, were truly masters at creating Djent. I got it wrong, there’s at least one American band too!

I noticed this as soon as I was halfway into the first song on the band’s Cyclopean Imagery album, their debut, released last month. Being a rather new band, they formed in 2008, and with a composition of a sizy six members; dual vocals, dual guitars, bass and drums, I find that rather impressive. Often with bands that are fresh on the block you’ll get more like a pile of good ideas, but no clear concept.

Perhaps I’m overly positive and this is actually really also the case with Pathogenic, but then they must have gotten off a lucky shot. Right at my pleasure bone.

Cyclopean Imagery’s concept seems to be Djenty rhythms and riffs combined with a certain darkness. Not an acid suicide-inducing darkness as in Black Metal, but, somehow, a more subtle darkness that nonetheless can take you totally unnoticed. Combine this fact with the use of dual vocals, agonized cleans that almost sound like mourning and some pretty brutal growls that are in fact so brutal that they make my throat ache, and you get something pretty damn special!

Rapid Eye Movement provides a pretty accurate example of this and I’m not even pointing at that horror movie teaser thing at the start. That builds a nice setting, but the real deal is much intelligent.

If you listened closely, you may have also heard that the production is a tiny tad flat. That’s my opinion at least. The reason is that the entire album is self-recorded, self-mixed and self-produced and with that in mind the end result induces quite a shitload of respect. But to me it’s also clear that there’s a lot more to be gained in this department. Sure, the band is well above a certain minimum required to make an album enjoyable, but with six musicians you’ve got six layers and there’s a lot more playing and dynamics that could be done here.

Am I nagging? Yes I am! But that’s pretty much because I can’t objectively or subjectively find anything wrong with this record. On the contrary, I’m rockin’ my socks off here. The band employs plenty of variation in atmosphere, loudness, technique and style, such that the full hour the album’s worth stays interesting. Overall, an important role is played by four songs in particular, the first, second, fifth and twelfth (last). These are Lucidity I to IV and probably tell an overall story. Can’t tell you what it is though, I guess it’s just too intelligent for me.

Playing through the album front to back, there seems to be a trend towards more heavy songs as you go. Things can get pretty fuckin’ solid in fact, up to the point where the Djent is hard to find and most of what you’re hearing would sooner be classified as a pretty tough piece of Death Metal. There are moments when I’m thinking Brutal Death Metal even. Lucidity IV somehow seems to take things full circle again, starting heavy as fuck, but building up melody and atmosphere as it runs along.

And that’s pretty much all I can tell you. This thing is just very much worth your time, ears and dough. For five bucks you can get a digital copy off BandCamp, where you can also stream the entire thing before you proceed to buy. Moreover, you can find the lyrics there, which are pretty damn cool too.

My Grade: 9/10

Buy this when:
- you can dig the crunchy combo of Prog stuff with very solid Death Metal
- you wanna hear some mighty intelligent stuff
- you’ve got five bucks around somewhere

- deathmetalbaboon.com

Have I got some intelligent shit for you today! It’s Djenty Progressive Metal from a city called Lowell, Massachusetts. I was half starting to get the idea that only British bands, and perhaps a few Australian ones, were truly masters at creating Djent. I got it wrong, there’s at least one American band too!

I noticed this as soon as I was halfway into the first song on the band’s Cyclopean Imagery album, their debut, released last month. Being a rather new band, they formed in 2008, and with a composition of a sizy six members; dual vocals, dual guitars, bass and drums, I find that rather impressive. Often with bands that are fresh on the block you’ll get more like a pile of good ideas, but no clear concept.

Perhaps I’m overly positive and this is actually really also the case with Pathogenic, but then they must have gotten off a lucky shot. Right at my pleasure bone.

Cyclopean Imagery’s concept seems to be Djenty rhythms and riffs combined with a certain darkness. Not an acid suicide-inducing darkness as in Black Metal, but, somehow, a more subtle darkness that nonetheless can take you totally unnoticed. Combine this fact with the use of dual vocals, agonized cleans that almost sound like mourning and some pretty brutal growls that are in fact so brutal that they make my throat ache, and you get something pretty damn special!

Rapid Eye Movement provides a pretty accurate example of this and I’m not even pointing at that horror movie teaser thing at the start. That builds a nice setting, but the real deal is much intelligent.

If you listened closely, you may have also heard that the production is a tiny tad flat. That’s my opinion at least. The reason is that the entire album is self-recorded, self-mixed and self-produced and with that in mind the end result induces quite a shitload of respect. But to me it’s also clear that there’s a lot more to be gained in this department. Sure, the band is well above a certain minimum required to make an album enjoyable, but with six musicians you’ve got six layers and there’s a lot more playing and dynamics that could be done here.

Am I nagging? Yes I am! But that’s pretty much because I can’t objectively or subjectively find anything wrong with this record. On the contrary, I’m rockin’ my socks off here. The band employs plenty of variation in atmosphere, loudness, technique and style, such that the full hour the album’s worth stays interesting. Overall, an important role is played by four songs in particular, the first, second, fifth and twelfth (last). These are Lucidity I to IV and probably tell an overall story. Can’t tell you what it is though, I guess it’s just too intelligent for me.

Playing through the album front to back, there seems to be a trend towards more heavy songs as you go. Things can get pretty fuckin’ solid in fact, up to the point where the Djent is hard to find and most of what you’re hearing would sooner be classified as a pretty tough piece of Death Metal. There are moments when I’m thinking Brutal Death Metal even. Lucidity IV somehow seems to take things full circle again, starting heavy as fuck, but building up melody and atmosphere as it runs along.

And that’s pretty much all I can tell you. This thing is just very much worth your time, ears and dough. For five bucks you can get a digital copy off BandCamp, where you can also stream the entire thing before you proceed to buy. Moreover, you can find the lyrics there, which are pretty damn cool too.

My Grade: 9/10

Buy this when:
- you can dig the crunchy combo of Prog stuff with very solid Death Metal
- you wanna hear some mighty intelligent stuff
- you’ve got five bucks around somewhere

- deathmetalbaboon.com