Three years after acclaimed third full-length “Expanding Oblivion”, Belgium’s PESTIFER unleash a new work of Art. New EP and DMP debut “Defeat Of The Nemesis” delivers five tracks where twisted fusion riffs/leads and complex unpredictable rhythms produce a unique spin on technical and progressive Death Metal.

Collaborating with Death Metal Promotion YouTube channel, Debemur Morti Productions premiere the full stream of this mind-bendingly ferocious EP – listen below!

Drummer Phil explains the creative process behind the five songs:

“This time, all riffs came from Val (guitar) and Adrien (bass). I was sadly too busy with private affairs going on. But in the end, everyone in the band gets engaged in the process of transforming ideas into actual songs during our rehearsals. When the foundations of the tracks are strong, everyone focuses on finalizing his own instrument, and then, we refine them all together. It takes a while for a song to be finished since we all have to be satisfied with the result. Jérôme, the singer, is in charge of the lyrics and concept.“

Vocalist Jérôme adds:

“I can say the result is the fruit of a stable and strong collaboration compared to our previous release which has been significantly slowed down by line-up changes. That doesn’t mean we were fast in composing. Like Phil said, we focus on details a lot and that is probably the reason why it makes our songs so intricate. We want our music to have different layers of listening. So, the sixth time you listen to a song won’t give you the same impression than the first time. New elements can be highlighted with time. I think this release is a perfect match between Valéry’s love for dissonance, strong metal riffs and space traveling leads and Adri’s obsession with dramatic classical music and mesmerizing bass lines.“

“Defeat Of The Nemesis” will be released via Debemur Morti Productions as CD, vinyl (with digital print on B side) and digitally on April 21st. Pre-orders are possible via the label’s EU, US and Bandcamp shops.

PESTIFER is a metal band that has been haunting Belgium since 2004. Composed of four humanoids, the group plays an original music mixing aggressivity, melodies and personality with emphasis on the songs’ structure, elaborate riffing and the general atmosphere.

The project was fantasized by young hairy twins, fanatics of the 90’s Death Metal scene. With a first EP in 2006, PESTIFER aligns concerts on a local scale. In 2010, the band takes a new dimension releasing its first album, “Age Of Disgrace“. Two European tours in support of KATAKLYSM and KRISIUN follow and they sign with Ultimhate Records.

After a new 13-date European tour with NILE, PESTIFER release a new album on Greatdane Records in 2014. “Reaching The Void” confirms the band’s musical direction and brings a new trend with more “sci-fi” themes.

The following years, the band undergoes some line-up changes with the arrival of a new guitar player. In mid-2019, the band records a concept album, marking a new milestone for PESTIFER. The album, the result of several years of writing, is released in March 2020 on Xenokorp Records, a few days before the worldwide lockdown. During that period, PESTIFER sign a publishing contract with Les Editions Hurlantes (GOJIRA, IMMORTAL, MARDUK…).

In 2021, the band releases a video documentary. The film is directed by Giov‘ and focuses on the band’s life during covid. 2022 sees PESTIFER sign a contract with Debemur Morti Productions. Their forthcoming EP, “Defeat Of The Nemesis“, will be released on April 21st.

Progressive Death Metal band PESTIFER unveil the cover of their forthcoming EP “Defeat Of The Nemesis“, set to be released via Debemur Morti Productions on April 21st. Created by Belgian comic artist David Caryn, the artwork shows the downfall of humanity and destruction of planet Earth, giving an insight into the concepts behind the record.

The EP features five crushing and virtuosic compositions (including a short intermezzo) which tell the story of humanity trying to colonize different planets in the wake of earth’s destruction. Four distinct civilizations are established in outer space, however each of these newly created societies is a mirror for the flaws and weaknesses of the human mind.

“Defeat Of The Nemesis” analyses the human psyche through the lens of science fiction. Singer and lyricist Jérôme Bernard elaborates on the concept:

“Firstly, I must say that I read a lot of science fiction books – from hard science fiction like Liu Cixin, Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen Baxter to classic sci-fi books such as H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov and Dan Simmons.

Science fiction novels often tend to put the human race in unmanageable situations, facing uncontrollable phenomena. As a reader, I have a guilty pleasure with a bit of pessimism in witnessing the failure of humankind. And the most exciting thing about science fiction is that it can become reality (especially with hard science fiction). Humans have got so many dark faces and it is always interesting to push them a bit further in the future to see what happens if they go on being so human. So, science fiction brings a perfect scenery to confront humanity with its own flaws.

The idea of writing about different states of mind came from PESTIFER‘s new songs seemingly having their own personality. One song sounds a bit angrier, the other sounds maybe a bit madder and the next one depicts total hopelessness. The period of time we are living in also significantly influenced me. I started to write the lyrics just after the war in Ukraine was declared. I actually wondered about the fact that we had come up to a situation where a few powerful people can rule the world the way they want. A part of them obviously has no empathy and can kill without shame for money, power or even ego. They can ruin their own planet and the lives of billions of people for that purpose. I have read a bunch of articles about the state of mind of those powerful people, notably a book called “In Sickness And In Power”. That is how I came up with the idea of writing a story about four civilizations influenced by a specific state of mind, in a world they cannot perfectly manage, far from Earth.“

Artist David Caryn narrates about giving visual form to the concept behind “Defeat Of The Nemesis“:

“The image was born based on Jérôme’s visions, but the first drafts did not look at all like the final version. It’s often a tortuous path to arrive at the right place. At the beginning, I went for a more first-degree interpretation of the texts. This means that characters appeared which were later deleted from the picture because I judged them to be superfluous. Having, like many people, this feeling of the end of the world approaching, which may turn out to be rather brutal, drawing a potential vision of our own downfall seemed to resonate with the spirit of the album. And it proved to be the right choice given the band’s enthusiastic response.

My graphical influences are those of a kid who grew up with 90s Metal: Dan Seagrave, Edward Repka, Joe Pentagno, Andreas Marschall, Sebastian Krüger, and more. It would be impossible to list all other artists here which were and are also lifelong influences. On the technical side, I used good old-fashioned acrylic paint! We are getting used to digital images, and I also work in this way. But for me it remains more stimulating to work directly with the material and this also accounts for the rendering, in my opinion.

PESTIFER and I have a long history of friendship. We were still handsome, beardless teenagers when we met, which goes back to the last century (gosh!), and we have since had the opportunity to drink a litre of beer together. And it’s only natural that we collaborate on the covers, this is already the fourth.“

“Defeat Of The Nemesis” will be released via Debemur Morti Productions on April 21st. Pre-orders will begin mid-March. More information will be shared soon. Follow the band on their Facebook and Instagram page.

PESTIFER is a metal band that has been haunting Belgium since 2004. Composed of four humanoids, the group plays an original music mixing aggressivity, melodies and personality with emphasis on the songs’ structure, elaborate riffing and the general atmosphere.

The project was fantasized by young hairy twins, fanatics of the 90’s Death Metal scene. With a first EP in 2006, PESTIFER aligns concerts on a local scale. In 2010, the band takes a new dimension releasing its first album, “Age Of Disgrace“. Two European tours in support of KATAKLYSM and KRISIUN follow and they sign with Ultimhate Records.

After a new 13-date European tour with NILE, PESTIFER release a new album on Greatdane Records in 2014. “Reaching The Void” confirms the band’s musical direction and brings a new trend with more “sci-fi” themes.

The following years, the band undergoes some line-up changes with the arrival of a new guitar player. In mid-2019, the band records a concept album, marking a new milestone for PESTIFER. The album, the result of several years of writing, is released in March 2020 on Xenokorp Records, a few days before the worldwide lockdown. During that period, PESTIFER sign a publishing contract with Les Editions Hurlantes (GOJIRA, IMMORTAL, MARDUK…).

In 2021, the band releases a video documentary. The film is directed by Giov‘ and focuses on the band’s life during covid. 2022 sees PESTIFER sign a contract with Debemur Morti Productions. Their forthcoming EP, “Defeat Of The Nemesis“, will be released on April 21st.

Haunting the Death Metal scene with devastating music and crushing live shows since 2004, PESTIFER have already unleashed three highly acclaimed albums. On most recent opus “Expanding Oblivion” (2020), the group successfully paired an elaborate science-fiction concept with sonic aggression, ethereal melodies, intricate riffing and a special emphasis on song-structure. PESTIFER soar through the sublimity of the night sky into the cold and annihilating darkness of outer space!

Proudly, the label announces that PESTIFER has joined Debemur Morti Productions to unleash further sinister and sophisticated obliterations. Vocalist Jérôme Bernard narrates about PESTIFER‘s Art:

“We are glad to be part of the Debemur Morti Productions family! I think the spectrum of darkness we evoke in our music is very wide and that is clearly something we naturally tend to. At least, I could say there is nothing positive emerging from the sound we create: our music is a mix of dreadful and dissonant chords, enigmatic melodies, threatening riffs or insane atmospheres but it varies a lot. Layers are often quite numerous without any ounce of happiness. We also focus on structures, probably without choosing the easiest path, but we believe that it makes the songs of PESTIFER as unique as possible. Lyrics follow that rule too. They mainly tell stories about the darkness of existence itself with a science-fiction aspect. Nevertheless, is there anything darker than outer space?“

First collaborative emanation, the new EP “Defeat Of The Nemesis“, will see the light of day in 2023. Jérôme allows a glimpse into what’s to come:

“The core of PESTIFER remains the same but I could say we explored more horizons than in our previous releases. There are certainly more bold attempts with moods we never even approached before. But there are other aspects that can remind people of our first release as well: some reborn aggression, more anger. That’s also the reason why we wanted the production to be very powerful. “Defeat Of The Nemesis” is a concept EP with a main lyrical theme about cosmos colonization by the human race. Every song represents a new civilization which is influenced by a specific mental pathology. Anyway, you can expect adventurous bass lines, serpentine guitar riffs, furious vocals, and tireless drums.“

Furthermore, as it was recently announced, the band will also perform on the 2023 edition of Hellfest Open Air Festival in France.

PESTIFER are:

Philippe Gustin – drums
Jérôme Bernard – vocals
Valéry Bottin – guitars
Adrien Gustin – bass

Follow the band on Facebook and Instagram and listen to their latest album, “Expanding Oblivion“, via Bandcamp.

PESTIFER is a metal band that has been haunting Belgium since 2004. Composed of four humanoids, the group plays an original music mixing aggressivity, melodies and personality with emphasis on the songs’ structure, elaborate riffing and the general atmosphere.

The project was fantasized by young hairy twins, fanatics of the 90’s Death Metal scene. With a first EP in 2006, PESTIFER aligns concerts on a local scale. In 2010, the band takes a new dimension releasing its first album, “Age Of Disgrace“. Two European tours in support of KATAKLYSM and KRISIUN follow and they sign with Ultimhate Records.

After a new 13-date European tour with NILE, PESTIFER release a new album on Greatdane Records in 2014. “Reaching The Void” confirms the band’s musical direction and brings a new trend with more “sci-fi” themes.

The following years, the band undergoes some line-up changes with the arrival of a new guitar player. In mid-2019, the band records a concept album, marking a new milestone for PESTIFER. The album, the result of several years of writing, is released in March 2020 on Xenokorp Records, a few days before the worldwide lockdown. During that period, PESTIFER sign a publishing contract with Les Editions Hurlantes (GOJIRA, IMMORTAL, MARDUK…).

In 2021, the band releases a video documentary. The film is directed by Giov‘ and focuses on the band’s life during covid. 2022 sees PESTIFER sign a contract with Debemur Morti Productions.