Review by: Simon Milburn - Metal Forge Webzine - 2005

Swedish melodic death metal the Australian way

Flying the flag high for metal on Australia's west coast (Perth to be exact) is the melodic death metal quintet Pathogen. Their debut long player, Bloodline, has been a long time not only coming, but also in the making as well. Formed in 1995, this quintet released their first demo titled Tyranny Of Hatred a year later which was followed by another demo, Nightfall, in 1998. In 2000, the epic eight minute single Shallow was recorded for inclusion on the Perth metal compilation Metal From The Bottom Of The Earth and 2RRR's Underearthed Australian Metal Compilation. It also received airplay on our national radio network Triple J and also Sydney's 2RRR. In 2002, it was time to begin work on their debut which contains material that had been written and refined over the course of their existence. Now, some three years later in 2005, Bloodline has finally seen the light of day.

The oddly titled instrumental intro & offers some suggestion as to what Pathogen is all about. Melodic clean guitars lead into what soon becomes a fuller piece backed with distortion and thumping drums that switches moods towards the end in an up tempo manner that continues with Identity Theft. Strains of Opeth ring through as it kicks off and instantly impressive are Mike Lenane's brutal and fitting vocals. You like your metal to mix brutality and beauty? Then this track is a damn fine representation of what it sounds like when done well. One of the shiners on this album is the Carcass like Beyond Repent with its excellent song structure that features no end of catchy riffs and killer vocals. Bleeding Eye sounds like it has come from Death's Leprosy and Spiritual Healing eras which can only mean that it's a full on metal assault. Easing the lead foot off of the aggression pedal is the no less heavy Fallen Kind with a simple clean guitar intro and timely drums which soon turns to distortion and blood curdling vocals.

Shallow is well versed in the ways of melodic Swedish death metal of recent years and the Opeth inspired mid section is pure aural bliss showcasing just how dynamic these guys can be. Eviscerated and C.O.W. draw on Carcass' later material (think Heartwork) with the later coming across not quite as strongly as the former. Nightfall is tinged with doom laced sadness through out and features an elegant lead break that Mikael Akerfeldt would be proud of. What could almost be mistaken for a simple Load-era Metallica riff drives Bleed My Soul (Pt.1) but an unexpected change of tack early on asserts the tracks heaviness through to its conclusion. Warchild thumps along with pounding drums and the epic Tyranny Of Hatred shows a more traditional death metal growl in Lenane's voice perfectly matched to its predominantly crawling pace. The equally odd instrumental outro & rounds out the album with a sombre and dark acoustic guitar piece. If anything, I think the album should only have had one track called ... and that is the final track which really would have been better placed as an instrumental somewhere in the middle of the album for more effect. But that's just me.

Pathogen have done Perth to death with shows over the last ten or so years and now it is time for the rest of the country to hear just how good these guys are. There are a few moments here and there in which they lose their identity as they blur the lines of originality, but they are certainly not the only band guilty of that. Over time, they've honed their art and song writing skills making Bloodline a fine example of melodic death metal and an even finer example of Aussie metal.

Review source: Pathogen - Bloodline Review

Review by: Pyro - Pyromusic Webzine - 2005

Time for more quality metal from the west coast of Australia readers. If you're familiar with some of WA's more prolific and better bands you'll probably be aware of Scourge, Vespers Decent, Black Steel and Plague (to name a few) and also know just how much excellent material WA has produced. 'Bloodline' is the result of a decade of hard work, gigging and growing immensely as a band for Pathogen who have been a familiar name with WA metalheads since the mid 1990s thanks to a couple of demo releases and plenty of live shows including some big-name international supports. Finally, the moment fans have been waiting for...

The most instantaneous impression you'll get when you first listen to 'Bloodline' is that the production has had a lot of effort poured into it. The music is crisp, heavy and impacting. Following the untitled intro track, 'Identity Theft' kicks off and ensures the album gets off to a very powerful start. The opener is without a doubt also one of the stronger songs on the album and was a wise choice to be released as a free MP3 for the band to promote the album.

Following the great beginning comes another near-hour of quality Melodic Death Metal that sounds like it could have come from just about anywhere in the world. Plenty of signature sounds shine through from double-bass-powered chunky riff sections to chugging symmetrical beats perfect for banging head to, to melodic riffing atop growling vocals, not to mention the slew of seamlessly implemented acoustic moments that really made this style of music popular in the early-to-mid 1990s.

Pathogen have successfully mixed acoustic moments akin to earlier In Flames material (with hints of Opethian flavours) with a myriad of Modern/Melodic Death Metal influences, delivering what is ultimately a very, very strong debut. Strong production, strong songs, strong result. Although there is a shortage of brilliant musical moments of truly memorable riffs, what 'Bloodline' lacks in truly awesome instances, it makes up for in consistence and solidity. Highly recommended for Melodic Death Metal fans.

Review source: Pathogen - Bloodline Review

Review by: Peter Johnston - Deadtide Webzine - 2006

Pathogen's debut Bloodline is an impressive hour of controlled, grooving, melodic death/thrash that begs comparisons to everyone from Carcass (Heartwork-era, mostly) to Dark Tranquillity or In Flames. This Australian quintet craft their music around driving yet simple riffs, a raw-throated, searing vocal delivery and well-placed acoustic interludes. Every song is incredibly easy to listen to and absorb, yet with the overall length of the album and the fact that a number of the tracks reach into the eight-minute range, cursory listens will not uncover all of Pathogen's nuances and clever tricks.

Though Bloodline feels like an album that's been written mostly by the numbers, everything from the recording quality to the execution and songwriting shows that the band know exactly how to use those numbers to their advantage. You simply don't hear melodies as compelling as on "Fallen Kind" on every melodic death metal album, and most bands couldn't forge a balance between sounding epic and heavy the way Pathogen does on "Shallow" and "Tyranny of Hatred". Similarly, those groups that do have the aforementioned abilities probably would have trouble uncorking the pure whoop-ass present in "Eviscerated". Bloodline is a bold and impressive debut that definitely should put Pathogen on your list of bands to check out.

STANDOUT TRACKS - Beyond Repent, Fallen Kind, Tyranny of Hatred, Bleed My Soul (Pt. 1)

Review source: Pathogen - Bloodline Review