Metal Monday: Pathology Q&A

posted in: Exclusive Interviews • Rock

Some bands think they have had it rough, and some bands actually have had it rough. Pathology is a band that falls into the latter category. Starting out in 2006 with their debut album Surgically Hacked, Pathology have churned out five full length records to date, the latest album (Awaken To The Suffering) being their first since a gruesome van accident derailed the band from their tour with a litany of other great death metal bands. The guys recently took some time while on tour with Grave, Blood Red Throne and Gigan to chat with us about the new album, band stuff and just how brutal Jonathan Huber’s vocals are.

OS: You just released your fourth album in as many years. How difficult is it to produce consistently solid material as you have?

P: I think what makes this process easier is having dedicated people who are on the same level as far as Pathology goes. We constantly work on the road and at home, coming up with new ideas, feeding off one another.

OS: This time around you chose to record at Lambesis Studios with producer Daniel Castleman. What was the thought process behind choosing Castleman/Lambesis Studios?

P: Lambesis Studios in in our home area of San Diego so, it was very convenient. We know the work Lambesis studios can produce based upon their previous output. We were very happy with quality and the overall sound of records produced by Daniel Castleman, so we thought let’s go with something different, and honestly we could not be any happier with the experience and with the results as heard on our record.

OS: Though all of your albums are tied together conceptually, Awaken To The Suffering is noticeably different in sound and style than Legacy of the Ancients. What do you think had the biggest effect on this?

P: You have to realize that the early Pathology records were more of a studio project between Dave Astor (drums) and Tim Tiszczenko (guitars). Now with a full lineup and a lot more experiences taking the band on the road with four US tours and a trip to Europe, it gives you a lot of new influences and inspiration. The last two tours alone definitely gave us a new feel and attitude towards the music. Touring with legends like Deicide, Belphegor, Grave and Obituary”that alone definitely put us in the mindset of let’s get to where they are. Let’s make one that would put us in the books.

OS: So, tell us a bit about the concept behind Awaken To The Suffering.

P: We wanted to step out of the box a bit and try something a little different. Overall the sound and style progressed, but I think we did it right by adding some more melodic riffs and ripping solos but still keeping that brutal death metal feeling Pathology has always had.

OS: Some of the vocal parts on Awaken To The Suffering are downright outrageous. Just how low can you go?

P: That’s as low I think anybody can go honestly. Jonathan Huber did an amazing job and we are thrilled with the outcome. His vocals are straight putrid and guttural and it is the overall definition of brutal death metal.

OS: We’re now approaching a year since the band’s serious van wreck while on the Nile tour. How have you guys worked through that? Did it have any lingering effects on the band?

P: We still think about it till this day. That is by far the worst experience of my life, but as a band we have overcome it and proved that something like that can’t hold us down. We’re thankful enough that everybody in that accident wasn’t severely injured, we can replace the equipment but not a life. Definitely watching out for black ice from now on.

OS: We’ve seen the preview of your upcoming video for Media Consumption”tell us a bit more about this video (aside from brutal beheadings). Whose idea was it, and who made it?

P: The video concept was sent to us by the director Eric Richter and we like how he wanted to incorporate the album art in with the video by adding the evil doctor with his zombie army sending them all over town. It’s a really cool and interesting video and the song “Media Consumption” couldn’t be a better track to go along with this video.

So all you people out there, check out the new Pathology album. It’s really heavy. At the very least, check out the fantastic video for the song “Media Consumption” below.

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