Band:	Pestilence
Album:	Spheres
Style:	Progressive death metal
Release date:	1993
Guest review by:	deadone

01. Mind Reflections
02. Multiple Beings
03. The Level Of Perception
04. Aurian Eyes
05. Soul Search
06. Personal Energy
07. Voices From Within
08. Spheres
09. Changing Perspectives
10. Phileas
11. Demise Of Time
12. Demise Of Time [remix version] [2007 Re-release bonus]
13. Soul Search [remix version] [2007 Re-release bonus]
14. Mind Reflections [live] [2007 Re-release bonus]
15. Multiple Beings [live] [2007 Re-release bonus]

I'm not ashamed to say I generally don't like progressive music and generally prefer my heavy metal straightforward. I also hate it when bands change styles drastically, especially if they tone down their sound and get softer. But I love Pestilence's Spheres.

The guitars on this album are amazing. The riffs are strange yet catchy and memorable and yet again display a twisted aggression. The guitar tone is abrasive and thin but works perfectly.

Patrick Mameli still growls for the most part, but they're almost muffled at times adding further to the sinister vibe. In fact they're more a harsh yell than pure growl and in some ways reminiscent of Atheist's Kelly Schaeffer.

Contrasting the guitars and vocals are the synth guitars (no keyboards here) churning out spaced out and spooky melodies. The end result is a demented, almost perverse yet catchy listening experience.

Breaking up the jazz Death Metal are instrumental interludes. Given the album's jazzy progressive approach these instrumentals sit better along the Death Metal songs than on Testimony Of The Ancients or Morbid Angel's earlier albums where the interludes often seemed bolted on as an after thought.

For all it's progressive and jazzy influences Spheres is still very much a Death Metal album. It sits quite well next to other period albums by Atheist, Cynic, Death as well as Pestilence's own Testimony of the Ancients.