PESTILENCE Mainman Says Reunion With MARTIN VAN DRUNEN Was 'Out Of The Question'

Olivier "Zoltar" Badin of UK's Terrorizer magazine (web site) recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Patrick Mameli of the resurrected late '80s/early '90s death metal outfit PESTILENCE. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Terrorizer: Exactly when and why did PESTILENCE stop functioning after the "Spheres" album?

Patrick: "It was due to an accumulation of events: problems with the record company, dissatisfaction with the metal scene in general and death metal in particular, too much touring, the way our latest full-length had been received by our diehard fans who were complaining it was too far away from the sound of 'Consuming Impulse' etc."

Terrorizer: [PESTILENCE's current bassist] Tony Choy played on "Testimony Of The Ancients" (1991) but what about Marco Foddis (drums),Patrick Uterwijk (guitar) or even Martin Van Drunen, who sang and played bass on your first two records?

Patrick: "Marco I haven't talked to in over ten years. But I know he sold his drumkit a long time ago. He's now giving driving lessons and doesn't want to have anything to do with music anymore. On the other hand, Patrick will be present for the concerts but he just came in too late to take part in the album. He hadn't been playing in a long time too and though I know for a fact he's now working his ass off every day to be up to speed; it was impossible for him to be ready on time for the studio. As for Martin Van Drunen, well, let's say it was simply out of question. If we split up with him after our U.S. tour in 1990, it was for good reasons. And there's no chance for us to be working together again, even after all those years. Plus, he's got his HAIL OF BULLETS thing going on so I wish him nothing but the best."

Terrorizer: How did you catch up with Peter Wildoer?

Patrick: "He was recommended by a friend of mine, saying that based on his work he did with DARKANE, he would be the perfect man for the job. And indeed he is. Plus, now thanks to the Internet, you don't have to live in the same country anymore and practice on a frequent basis so even if he's living in Sweden, it wasn't a problem at all."

Terrorizer: Do you have a specific schedule?

Patrick: "Yes. On October 17, I'll enter the studio in Denmark with Jacob Hansen as producer, with whom I've already worked with on the C-187 project, with Tony Choy on bass and Peter Wildoer on drums. By October 31, everything will have to be recorded and mixed. Then the album will come out somewhere around March 2009. And by April, we'll do a three-week European tour before doing as much shows as possible on the summer festivals circuit.

Terrorizer: What details can be revealed about the album itself?

Patrick: "It will be called 'Resurrection Macabre' and will feature eleven new songs. Plus, both my wife and the record company suggested we could re-record some of the old classics for the first edition of the album. So, we're conducting a poll on our webpage where fans can vote for the three songs they want us to revisit. As we speak, I think 'Out Of The Body' from 'Consuming' seems to be getting most of the votes and 'Chemo Therapy' from 'Malleus' isn't that far behind."

For more information, visit www.terrorizer.com.

PESTILENCE performing live in Knoxville, Tennessee, November 1991: