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Genre-defying Dutch death metal legends PESTILENCE have singled out and re-recorded twelve emblematic anthems from across their 38-year career into "Levels of Perception". Patrick Mameli - whose signature vocal, guitar, and songwriting skills constitute the hallmark of PESTILENCE - finds "Levels of Perception" to be a testament to the band's role in death metal's progression.
"I've always wanted to do a best-of album, because it would mean that I've achieved something in the past; something that still has its value today," Mameli reflects. "To be able to choose from songs that I composed in the distant past, transporting them into the now, with the lineup of the recordings that consisted of Michiel van der Plicht (drums), Rutger van Noordenburg (guitar), and Joost van der Graaf (bass) - I found this to be of great value and sheer awesomeness."
Re-recording the tracks has not only managed to breathe new life into them - half thanks to the new lineup, and the other half by implementing subtle changes that reflect Mameli's matured vision and refined aesthetic, honed over years of experience - but also sets them apart from cheap, unimaginative compilations by unifying the album's sound as befits a full-length release.
"The album's title is 'Levels of Perception.' Why? Because this is what has happened with the songs," Mameli explains. "Performed by different musicians, with their own views, musical abilities, and interpretations, shining a new light on them. So here we are with new 'Levels of Perception.'"
The drums for "Levels of Perception" were recorded by Michiel van der Plicht in 2021, during a live stream held in T Paard (The Hague, NL). "These recorded drum tracks were so awesome that we just had to use them, fine-tuning the guitars and bass," Mameli comments. These and other re-recordings were done with Reaper behind the console at van der Plicht's own studio On Duty in Mijdrecht, NL. The latter engineered, mixed, and mastered the album.
"I've started to realize, after recording 'Exitivm,' that when you can engineer, mix, and master by yourself, the control over your own product is way bigger, through the honesty and passion for your own compositions; rather than hiring an engineer that has no feel for your music," PESTILENCE's frontman wraps up. The cover artwork was created by Peter Suchy.
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