Pathogenic - Crowned in Corpses

Angry Metal Guy

Lowell, Massachusetts, is the hometown of boxer Mickey Ward, the subject of the excellent 2010 film The Fighter starring Mark Wahlberg, and it’s also the birthplace of progressive death metal quintet Pathogenic. Formed in 2004 and since relocated to The Hub,¹ Pathogenic has been slugging it out in the progressive-tech, deathcore scene for nearly 20 years. With only two independently released full-lengths under their belt during this span (2011’s Cyclopean Imagery and 2019’s Pathogenic), these guys seem content to spend a lot of time training between bouts of expression. Now six years removed from their eponymous sophomore album and sporting a new, mutated logo and re-vamped lineup, Pathogenic has signed on with Skepsis Records to once again step in the ring with third album, Crowned in Corpses. Will all the roadwork and sparring pay off and see them move up a class or two, or will they remain middleweights forever?

Crowned in Corpses is by far the heaviest album that Pathogenic has recorded. Since reuniting with original vocalist Jake Burns and adding new drummer Tyler Montaquila in 2022, Pathogenic has shed much of its former progressive frivolity in exchange for brute force. With its Demanufactured riffery, the opening track, “Mass Grave Memory,” is a primary example, opting to strike Fear Factory into the hearts of men rather than broaden their Bring Me the Horizons. And while the roots of this new direction remain planted in deathcore—I don’t find anything Archspirely technical here— there’s way more death at the heart of Crowned in Corpses than there is core. Pathogenic‘s crisp, machine-gun staccato riffs, pinched squeal harmonics, melodic lead and solo work (courtesy of Justin Licht, Chris Gardino and Jake Burns) do draw Thy Art is Murder and The Red Chord comparisons but have replaced the softer jazzuflections predominant on the debut. This new sound may prove somewhat off-putting for fans of Pathogenic‘s earlier material but don’t start that ten count just yet.

Crowned in Corpses makes for a compelling listen by avoiding the more egregious deathcore tropes—primarily piggy vox and incessant beaten-like-a-dead-horse breakdowns—while maintaining flashes of past progressive atmospherics. Mid-album song “Fragments” casts the widest prog net here with its slow, bass-laden melodies, harmonic cleans and swanky solos building to a crescendo of heavy chugs and powerful raspy screams, then fading out in a haze of Stranger Things-worthy synths. With nary a hint of pretension, the song works well here, providing an oasis of respite between the body blows of the beef-heavy “Exiled from the Abyss” and the off-kilter brutality of “Crowned in Corpses.” Add in some effective acoustic work (“Dead But Not at Rest,” “The New Rot”), and Pathogenic has managed to elevate the level of brutality missing from previous releases without abandoning altogether some of the sounds that fans of the band have come to expect. Unfortunately, Pathogenic‘s new sonic direction has swallowed some of those sounds.

Dan Leahy brings a lot of talent to his bass performances, as evidenced on previous outings, but much of his work on Crowned in Corpses gets lost in the mix. Loud as one might expect, the booth work here doesn’t differ, providing little space for the instruments to breathe and, other than the aforementioned “Fragments,” muffling Leahy’s bass. Burns’ vocals, full of satisfying growls and piercing rasps, take center stage alongside the chugging guitars and Montaquila’s skin-beating drum work. Still, this is not entirely bad, as Burns’ return and Montaquila’s addition have upgraded Pathogenic‘s total package. Crowned in Corpses gets points for clocking in at just over forty-two minutes, but cutting two or more minutes from closer “Silicone Regime” would have upped the album’s overall lethality.

Like the dark king on the cover, sitting upon his throne of bones and driving steel through the skull of his final enemy, Pathogenic has made a statement with Crowned in Corpses. They have re-emerged a much leaner and meaner fighter, sporting a bag of tricks not previously displayed. I enjoyed getting to know Pathogenic, and listening to their back catalog has me rooting for Crowned in Corpses all the more for what it does and doesn’t do. Is it still deathcore? Yes. Would it be “wicked smaht” of you to give it a listen? Yes. If Pathogenic can clean up some minor issues holding them back, I could see a title shot in their future.



Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Skepsis Records
Websites: pathogenic.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/pathogenicmetal
Releases Worldwide: February 7, 2025

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