Desecration – Pathway to Deviance

Hailing from Wales, DESECRATION have been flying the flag for foul, all-caps DEATH METAL for over 30 years now. With 2000’s Inhuman, the band expanded to a quintet, with founding vocalist Ollie Jones handing the drum throne to Mike Hourihan (where he remains to this day) to solely focus on his brutal-yet-decipherable vocals and the short-lived addition of lead guitarist Jules. Likewise, DESECRATION had solidified their name not only as a dependable pillar of extremity but one that kept flying the flag for British death metal. Following the release of that album, said lead guitarist would depart as well as founding rhythm guitarist Glenn Jones. Undeterred, DESECRATION would be back to a quartet with the addition of lead guitarist Lee Evans. Released in 2002, Pathway to Deviance would be both Evans’ and bassist John Young’s final record with the band, but what an album they left behind. Taking the foundation of Inhuman to its ultimate conclusion, Pathway to Deviance saw DESECRATION at arguably their sharpest and meanest, going more for blasts than slams here. The crisp & crunchy production amplified the already extreme intensity at which the band wear working, pushing the band closer to contemporaneous Deicide than, say, Napalm Death of the past. Format: Yellow Vinyl with Black & Red Splatter