Music as a Weapon of Mass Destruction - A Review of Pestilence's Levels of Perception

Records such as Pestilence's Levels of Perception are the reason why some people call death metal fans white trash. While I'm usually someone who defends sub-genres, I certainly can't support that dreadful release in any possible way. I wouldn't have thought that I would hear a worse record than Six Feet Under's Killing for Revenge this year but that coaster is most certainly one of the worst albums I have ever listened to in my whole life.

Everything that could have gone wrong has actually gone wrong on Pestilence's Levels of Perception. First and foremost, the idea to record beloved classics again to bring them to the hear and now has never been a good idea. The material presented here certainly pales in comparison to the original songs.

The songwriting is absolutely dreadful. Every single song sounds the same and the twelve selections rush by without leaving any significant marks. The lack of artistry, evolution and talent is almost unbearable.

The production of this output is one of the worst I have ever heard. Everything sounds unbalanced, noisy and chaotic in a most unpleasant way. This record sounds like a forgotten garage demo from the eighties listened to on a broken cassette player with a set of headphones purchased at Dollarama.

The drumming that was praised by involved musicians before that output even saw the light of day sounds cold, invariable and stoic throughout. It almost sounds as if it had been programmed rather than it had been performed by an actual human being. The drumming doesn't even have an ounce of brain, heart or soul to offer.

The bass guitar play sounds buried in the production but is nonetheless the best thing about that dreadful output. The bass guitar is only just clearly audible in a few seconds here and there and impresses with its technically appealing performance that genuinely seems to come from a talented human being.

The guitar sound is infuriating. The rhythm guitars sound disharmonious, loud and rampageous. Their sound leads to insufferable headaches about four tunes into that disasterpiece. To be fair, the lead guitar solos sound slightly better but are buried by a talentless production.

The vocals are the cherry atop the turd sandwich. They always sound the same and lack any charisma, emotion or style. They make me think of an old man grunting while taking a dump. Even the terrible vocals by Chris Barnes of Six Feet Under sound better because they at least sound unique in their baffling misery. The vocals offered here somehow manage to sound bad yet forgettable at the same time. I'm not even sure if I have ever heard a worse vocal performance than this one in my whole life.

The negative reception by critics and fans alike is certainly justified in the case of Pestilence's Levels of Perception. The two percent I have given are justified by a few decent bass guitar sounds and the occasional promising lead guitar solo. These combined efforts however don't even make for two minutes of the whole output and are also harmed by one of the worst productions known to mankind. That frisbee is only recommended to people who want to have a good laugh at the sheer misery of such an infamous record.

Final Rating: 2%