This is a project aimed at making it easy to see who inspired the bands you love or even hate. For this I try not to use any influences that the band don’t claim themselves. There will be a focus on predecessors but successors will be added as they site the band. These trees become more and more interactive as new bands are added, allowing you to click any band that has a tree and jump to it.

We want our lists to be better. If you know something that belongs on this list, let us know. When in doubt we will leave it out, so we need reliable sources.

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Pestilence started with a death/thrash sound. By their second album they were fully death metal. Their album Spheres brought in a jazz fusion and was a much more progressive death album. Since then they have been playing technical death metal. The heart of the band has been Patrick Mameli on guitar and vocals with the exception of the first two albums where he was only on guitar. Along side guitarist Patrick Uterwijk the two of them wrote the music with Mameli doing most. Bass/Vocalist Martin van Drunen and drummer Marco Foddis wrote lyrics while in the band. Bassits Tony Choy and Jeroen Paul Thesseling each wrote an instrumental on Testimony of the Ancients and Spheres, respectively. Patrick Mameli has written everything since Resurrection Macabre. This list will only focus on Patrick Mameli’s influences. I was unable to find any for Uterwijk.

Chick Corea

Allan Holdsworth

Steve Coleman

Venom are the spiritual fathers of black metal and influenced the beginnings of extreme metal. Patrick said they were listening to them a lot in the early days.

Dave Weckl

Slayer are the most aggressive styled band out of the thrash big four. Patrick said they were an early influence.

Death are often recognized as the fathers of death metal. Patrick named them as an influence and also mentions having old Mantas tapes being a big influence.

Possessed are now seen more as death/thrash, but at the time they were the among the most extreme bands and are often considered fathers of death metal. Patrick is a big fan.

Kreator are one of the big bands of German thrash metal. Patrick named them as an influence for their first album.

Scott Henderson

Sepulture has shaped many genres with early stuff being some of the earliest death metal. Predominantly they were a death thrash band before drifting to more groove metal. Patrick said they were an influence for their first album.

Infernäl Mäjesty are a Canadian thrash band. Patrick named them as an influence.

Ripping Corpse was a death metal band with Erik Rutan on guitar. Patrick named their only album as a favorite.

Cannibal Corpse are one of the best known death metal bands. Patrick said they were an influence in their early career, but like many of their early influences they moved away from. (Note: Pestilence was releasing music before CC)

Wolfgang Muthspiel

Tha Dogg Pund

Tha Dogg Pound are a hip hop duo. Patrick named them when naming favorite albums.

WC is a west coast rapper. Patrick named his first album as one of his favorites.

Patrick says he doesn’t listen to metal anymore. Before discovering heavier music he was listening to bands like AC/DC and Kiss.

I have been unable to find influences or even interviews with Patrick Uterwijk, perhaps there just aren’t any English ones.

More Family Trees

Sources:

https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/pestilences-patrick-mameli-im-not-influenced-by-anything-i-dont-listen-to-metal/
https://www.metal-rules.com/2018/06/30/pestilence-interview-with-patrick-mameli/
https://www.emptywords.org/InterviewPatrick.htm
http://www.metal-discovery.com/Interviews/pestilence_interview_2009_pt2.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf3w9kUZSYY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1QG1FIvHHI
http://www.chroniclesofchaos.com/articles.aspx?id=1-1094