Pestilence

Pestilence are a Dutch death metal band formed in Enschede in 1986. Guitarist and vocalist Patrick Mameli is the only constant member through many line-up changes. Their sound began in thrash and death metal and moved towards progressive and technical territory, which is why they are counted alongside Death, Atheist and Cynic as one of technical death metal's "big four".

The first run of albums covers Malleus Maleficarum (1988), Consuming Impulse (1989), Testimony of the Ancients (1991) and Spheres (1993), and these remain the records people return to most. The band split in 1994, reunited in 2008, and went on permanent hold in July 2014 before getting back together in October 2016. Resurrection Macabre (2009), Doctrine (2011), Obsideo (2013), Hadeon (2018) and Exitivm (2021) followed.