Pathogenic - Crowned In Corpses Album Review

Pathogenic’s Crowned in Corpses drops February 7, 2025, and from the very first note, this album had me hooked. It’s got everything I love in a progressive death metal album—wailing leads with technical prowess, rhythm riffs built with precision and melodic genius, and a bass that is present without being overbearing. The drumming is solid, and the vocals? Harsh and punishing, with just enough gutturals and demonic touches to keep things dynamic.

There’s an undeniable progressive death metal foundation here, but throughout the album, there are moments that push into other territories. Some tracks, like Fragments, take a more experimental approach, with sections that incorporate clean vocals and atmospheric elements, but never in a way that feels forced or out of place. It’s a track that slows things down, allowing the drums and melodies to take center stage, and honestly, it could have worked as an instrumental. It’s got this ethereal, almost cinematic quality to it—like the eye of a hurricane in the middle of the chaos.

Then there are moments where the distortion and overall mix shift into Deathcore territory. The title track, Crowned in Corpses, is a perfect example, packed with deep tones, breakdowns, and an overwhelming heaviness that pushes the boundaries between genres. Drag Your Crosses takes it a step further, dropping well-placed "bleghs" and some absolutely crushing sections that feel like they were tailor-made for live crowd destruction.

Production-wise, the album sounds great on both earbuds and headphones, which isn’t always the case with albums that rely on layers of technicality. The mix is tight and balanced, with every instrument given space to breathe. The guitars don’t feel overly doubled up in post-production, and the panning is handled well—never overdone or distracting.

One of the most impressive things about Crowned in Corpses is how it manages to maintain intensity without relying on breakneck speed. The album rarely goes full-throttle, yet somehow every track feels like it’s moving at warp speed. It’s a perfect balance of tremolo picking, precision sweeps, and chugging rhythms layered under melodic leads. Even in its slower moments, there’s an urgency and weight to the compositions that keep everything locked in.

While this album isn’t necessarily groundbreaking, it does a lot of things exceptionally well, standing out above many of its peers in the genre. It’s a must-listen for fans of melodic and technical death metal, with enough Deathcore influence to pull in listeners from that realm as well. This one is staying in my rotation, and I have a feeling I’ll keep coming back to it throughout the year.