TWO FROM THE VAULT

"Two From The Vault" is a boxset release by Dutch death metal act Pestilence. The boxset was released through Roadrunner Records in September 2003. "Two From The Vault" is a concept Roadrunner Records invented to give people a chance to purchase two albums for the price of one and also to reissue some out of print albums. Other than Pestilence, releases by artists like King Diamond, Suffocation and Gorguts, have also been given the same treatment.

This particular "Two From The Vault" box set features Pestilence 2nd and 3rd full- length studio albums "Consuming Impulse (1989)" and "Testimony Of The Ancients (1991)". Both "classic" death metal albums by one of the greatest Dutch death metal acts from the late eighties/early nineties. Although both albums were released under the Pestilence monicker, they are actually very different in style. "Consuming Impulse (1989)" is relentlessly raw and brutal death metal while "Testimony Of The Ancients (1991)" is generally a lot more sophisticated and at times even semi-progressive. Both were groundbreaking releases when they were originally released though. Few albums from 1989 sounded as raw and brutal as "Consuming Impulse (1989)" and few death metal albums from 1991 sounded as sophisticated as "Testimony Of The Ancients (1991)". A shift on the lead vocalist spot between the two albums is one of the explanations behind the very different sounding albums, but overall it´s actually just the first sign that Pestilence were never a band to make the same album twice...

Both albums are high quality death metal releases and definitely worth a purchase. Both because of historical value, but certainly also because of the high quality songwriting, musicianship, and sound productions contained within. If you can get a hold of this "Two From The Vault" version, I can definitely recommend a purchase. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.