ARTIST: Pathology
ALBUM TITLE: Awaken to the Suffering
RECORD LABEL: Victory Records
RELEASED: September 13, 2011

By Eric Stuckart
Creator, Destroyer

There’s no denying it, I listen to a lot of metal. That’s kind of a given just by judging from the bulk of the music I review on this site. But I’ve always liked all the different types of metal, from the commercial stuff to the more experimental and unknown bands out there. I don’t claim to have some über-hipster knowledge of knowing every little underground band out there, but I do like a good majority of what the genre has to offer.

Well, just about all of it. There are a few genres out there that I just can’t get into, most of which have to do with shitty production, but still. Hey — I like to be able to listen to the music and not be distracted with how it sounds! There’s a fine line between sounding like a DIY band just breaking into the scene and sounding like you recorded your “kvlt” black metal band using a Fisher Price cassette recorder and insulated the room with packing peanuts. But I digress. Whatever floats your boat, man.

However, the one genre that I’ve always been kind of weird about, regardless of production, is goregrind. Is Pathology even true goregrind? I’m not sure that I’m the expert to answer that question, but judging by their song titles and general approach to their craft, I’d say that would be the most apt genre to label these lads from San Diego.

Not being very much into the whole goregrind thing, I’ve always wondered what the main attraction to these types of bands was. I mean, it couldn’t be the guttural vocals, which typically waver between sounding like a clogged sewer drain trying to empty out, neverending belching and wild boars grunting, could it? I hope not. And from a lyrical standpoint, the whole singing about death and murder and mutilation (among other choice topics) really isn’t my cup of tea. Plus, considering how many different — and quite specific, when you really get down to it — subgenres of metal there are, the goregrind genre in and of itself is one of the least willing to color outside the lines.

And while I respect the true dedication and skill that it takes to make your voice sound like a clogged sewer drain emptying out, it’s just not doing it for me. I think mainly because when a vocalist performs in this manner, there’s really not much that can be done to make them really stand out. It basically just ends up being a barrage of grunts oozing out of the speakers that just so happen to be uttered out in rhythm of the music.

This really works against everything else Pathology has going for them, because the rest of the band is really firing on all cylinders on Awaken to the Suffering. Playing a more traditional thrash/death metal blend to serve as the backbone of Jonathan Huber’s vocals, it’s pretty straightforward and tight, and while I probably couldn’t listen to it all day (my mind tends to wander), it’s great for what it is. Hell, there’s even a couple of bright moments on the album, such as the solo/breakdown section in “Media Consumption,” as well as “Humanity’s Cesspool,” with some serpentine soloing and Huber throwing in some more traditional screaming into the midsection rather than his trademark gutturals that overcrowd the music. Unfortunately, those moments are few and far between, and Huber’s voice completely takes me out of the music. Even worse, during pretty much every song on this album, I keep distracting myself thinking about how awesome most of this would sound with a more traditional death metal vocalist. You know, one that you can actually make out some of the words every once in awhile? I know I sound pretty harsh, but even I have my limits.

It seemed like the only time I was really interested was during the title track and album closer “Revocation of Earth” — both of which are instrumentals — and the few vocal-less breaks during the rest of the album. The musicianship is great, and the songs have the potential to be really engaging, but I just can’t get into it with those vocals. I know that there’s a definite audience for Pathology and their type of metal. Unfortunately, I’m not it.

RATING: 2/10

Front page image from parolofsson.se, interior photo courtesy of Victory Records.