Band Spotlight: Pathology Band at 20, From Dave Astor’s Drum Kit to a 13th Album

The Pathology band is heading into its 20th year with a new singer and a finished record. The San Diego brutal death metal outfit that drummer Dave Astor founded in early 2006 named Tripp Taylor its new vocalist on Aug. 4, said its 13th studio album is in the final stages of mixing and mastering, and has one show on the books: Sunday, Nov. 29, at the Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood, opening for Fear Factory and Darkest Hour.

Astor is the only founding member still in Pathology. Around him, the band has cycled through singers, guitarists and bassists, released records on labels from Japan to Victory Records to Nuclear Blast, survived a van wreck in North Dakota, spent more than five years as a studio-only project and come back with some of the best reviews of its career. This is SDMETAL’s first feature on the band, so here is the whole story, from Astor’s years in The Locust and Cattle Decapitation to what we know, and don’t know, about album 13.

Pathology Band at a Glance

• Formed: Early 2006, San Diego
• Founder: Dave Astor (drums), the only original member left
• Genre: Brutal death metal
• Studio albums: 12, with a 13th finished and being mixed and mastered
• Current lineup: Dave Astor (drums), Kevin Schwartz (guitar), Ricky Jackson (bass), Tripp Taylor (vocals)
• Next show: Sunday, Nov. 29, Whisky a Go Go, West Hollywood

Dave Astor, The Locust and Cattle Decapitation

Astor was born in San Diego on July 18, 1978, according to Metal Archives, and he was part of the city’s extreme music scene long before Pathology existed. Metal Archives lists him as the drummer in The Locust from 1994 to 2001. In Cattle Decapitation, it has him on vocals and bass in 1996 and on drums from 1996 to 2003. He played drums on Human Jerky (1999) and is credited with drums and songwriting on Homovore (2000) and To Serve Man (2002). Pathology’s own bio goes further and calls him a “co-founder of THE LOCUST and CATTLE DECAPITATION.” Our Cattle Decapitation band spotlight covers where that band went after he left.

He also drummed in Parasitic from 2004 to 2006, and he has handled vocals and drums in Being Killed since 2007, per Metal Archives.

Pathology was “formed in the beginning of 2006 by Dave Astor,” according to the band’s 2009 Victory Records signing announcement. Metal Archives credits the debut, Surgically Hacked, to Tim Tiszczenko on bass and vocals, Nick Gervais on guitar and Astor on drums and vocals, with Jeff Forrest producing, and it lists Ramon Mercado as the band’s vocalist in 2006 and 2007. The San Diego Reader has also named Disgorge vocalist Levi Fuselier as a co-founder. Metal Archives lists Fuselier only as the vocalist in 2008, and the band’s bio credits Astor alone, so we’re calling Astor the founder.

The early records came out overseas. Surgically Hacked was released in September 2006 on Japan’s Amputated Vein Records. The band’s site now lists it as “Surgically Hacked AKA The Demo,” but it is counted as the first of the 12 albums. In July 2007, Pathology signed with Australia’s Grindhead Records, which released Incisions of Perverse Debauchery in 2008. Comatose Music signed the band in December 2008 and put out Age of Onset in 2009. That record was made at Double Time Studio in El Cajon, with cover art by Pär Olofsson, who has painted many Pathology covers since.

The Victory Records Years and the 2010 Van Crash

Victory Records signed Pathology on Dec. 12, 2009, when Blabbermouth described the band as a San Diego “death metal/grindcore band.” Three Victory albums followed. Legacy of the Ancients (July 6, 2010) was engineered by Jeff Forrest at Doubletime Studios in San Diego and mixed and mastered by Erik Rutan. Awaken to the Suffering (Sept. 13, 2011) and The Time of Great Purification (Sept. 25, 2012) were both recorded at Lambesis Studios with producer Daniel Castleman.

2010 was the band’s busiest year and its worst. Pathology toured with Nile, with Immolation and Vader, and with Destroyer 666. Late in the year, guitarist Tim Tiszczenko left unexpectedly, and the band had to cancel the last two weeks of the Immolation and Vader run, the San Diego Reader reported.

Then, on Nov. 10, 2010, during the Nile tour, the band’s van hit black ice near Bismarck, North Dakota, on a 1,700-mile drive from St. Paul, Minnesota, to Seattle. Lambgoat reported that the van rolled several times. Three members went to the hospital with what were described as minor injuries, but the van, trailer and gear were destroyed, and the rest of the tour was off. “Worst car wreck in my life! Lucky to be alive. Everything is destroyed!” Astor said at the time.

By February 2011, the band had a new van, new gear and a new frontman. Jonathan Huber (ex-I Declare War) replaced “original voice Matti Way, who was unable to tour with the band,” Blabbermouth reported. Tiszczenko came back to play alongside his replacement, Kevin Schwartz, and the rebuilt lineup went out opening for Deicide and Belphegor. Astor said in the announcement that he’d seen and met Deicide in San Diego on Halloween 1992. Starting March 24, 2011, Pathology spent five weeks in Europe opening for Obituary and Grave, with stops at Extreme Fest in Paris, Royal Metal Fest in Denmark and Neurotic Deathfest in Holland, and later that year toured North America with Grave and Blood Red Throne.

The lineup kept moving. By December 2012, the San Diego Reader headlined its rundown “After over a dozen lineup changes.” That month, with the three-album Victory deal done, Matti Way and Tim Tiszczenko returned, and Huber and bassist Oscar Ramirez were out. The band called it “the prime Pathology lineup from the Age Of Onset, Legacy era.”

The album that split the critics

The Time of Great Purification is the record the band keeps coming back to. Astor called it “definitely our heaviest and most technical album to date” when it came out. Metal Forces gave it 7.5 out of 10 and said it was “‘Torment In Salvation’ that first really grips you.” Exclaim! was harsher, calling it “predictable, with uninspired song structures and repetitive riffs,” while calling 2010’s Legacy of the Ancients “stellar.” The band now calls The Time of Great Purification “the fan-favorite,” and it points to “Tyrannical Decay,” “Imprisoned By Fear” and “A Bleak Future.”

Going Underground: Sevared, Kickstarter and the Studio Years

On Jan. 17, 2013, Pathology signed with Sevared Records, saying it wanted to “go back to its underground roots,” per Blabbermouth. The lineup then was Astor, Schwartz on lead guitar, Way and Tiszczenko. Lords of Rephaim followed on Sept. 3, 2013, with Astor producing and engineering and Castleman mixing and mastering.

For 2014’s Throne of Reign, the band went fully independent. A Kickstarter campaign that ran from Jan. 27 to March 13, 2014, raised $5,329 from 142 backers against a $4,000 goal. “You will also hear the return of the guitar solos on this release,” the band promised, and guest leads came from Ralph Santolla, Shaune Kelley and Christiani Peluso. The album came out Aug. 5, 2014, on the band’s own Pathology Music, with Astor producing.

Metal Archives notes that from late 2012 to 2018, the group “ceased touring and became a studio-only project.” The self-titled Pathology came out on Comatose Music on July 21, 2017. Looking back in 2024, Teeth of the Divine said that record was “considered below par for the band’s output.”

Back on the Road: The 2018 Rebuild and the Nuclear Blast Era

The band rebuilt in 2018. On Feb. 6, Lambgoat reported that vocalist Riley McShane (Allegaeon) and guitarist Daniel Richardson (Condemned, Lords of War) were joining.

We are currently rehearsing and preparing to bring Pathology back on the road soon!”
– Astor said.

The singer’s spot changed again within months. Metal Archives lists both McShane and Clayton Meade for 2018, and on July 30, 2018, the band named Obie Flett its official vocalist. “Obie sang with us back in 2010,” the band said. Ricky Jackson joined on bass that year, and the band went back on the road in August on The Brutal Annihilation Tour with Aenimus and Parasitic Ejaculation.

Astor, Flett, Jackson and Richardson stayed together for three albums. Reborn to Kill came out on Pavement Entertainment on Aug. 9, 2019, produced by Zack Ohren at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, with The Black Dahlia Murder’s Trevor Strnad guesting on “Pit of Bones.” Dead Rhetoric later called it “a real breath of fresh air” and “a mature brutal death album.”

Nuclear Blast signed the band in 2021. “The band is very excited and honored to sign with one of the biggest metal labels on the planet,” Astor told Lambgoat. The Everlasting Plague followed on Nov. 19, 2021, again with Ohren, and Jeff Forrest, who engineered Legacy of the Ancients, directed the video for “Engaging In Homicide.” Dead Rhetoric gave it 8.5 out of 10 and called it “one of the more memorable brutal death albums you’ll hear this year.”

In 2022, the band was back on the road. The Uncreation Of Civilization tour with Decrepit Birth ran 29 dates from July 8 to Aug. 6 and included Brick by Brick in San Diego on Aug. 3, with Condemned on that leg. Then came the Grand Slam European Tour 2022 Part I with Devourment, Extermination Dismemberment and Korpse. Nuclear Blast announced Brutal Assault in the Czech Republic on Aug. 11 and Death Feast Open Air in Germany on Aug. 25 as the confirmed dates.

In late 2023, Pathology “left Nuclear Blast for Agonia Records,” Metal Injection reported, and it signed with Continental Touring for U.S. booking. Unholy Descent came out May 17, 2024. It was recorded and mixed by Ohren in June 2023, mastered by Alan Douches, and has cover art by Olofsson. The band called it its “third consecutive album with the same personnel.” Astor said it “delves into conspiracies and ancient mythos, while incorporating new elements to the music.” The band supported it with the Apocalyptic Spring Tour, with NecroticGoreBeast and Aethereus, starting April 17 in Los Angeles.

Then the lineup changed again. On Aug. 20, 2024, Kevin Schwartz rejoined on guitar, and the band said Richardson “had to step away due to personal reasons.”

The Pathology Band Sound: Slams, Grooves and Ancient Aliens

The Pathology band’s own bio describes its music as “combining the sheer brutality of death metal with massive grooves, memorable songwriting, and a crushing rhythmic foundation.” Metal Archives sums up the lyrics as “Gore, Death (early); Conspiracy theories, Ancient aliens, Social issues (later).” The Unholy Descent press text calls the album’s 13 songs “tales of ancient aliens, demonic powers and social issues.”

Critics hear more than slam. Teeth of the Divine calls it “sneakily melodic brutal death metal/slam” and says the leads and harmonies keep the band from being “just a mere Devourment clone, like many of their peers.” Its review also said Unholy Descent was “arguably one of the top ones in their career.” Dead Rhetoric went further in 2021: “it’s hard to really call Pathology circa 2021 ‘slam.’ Certainly those parts are an element of their sound, but they are no longer constrained by them.” Back in 2012, Metal Forces heard “a death metal band with a penchant for grindcore,” adding that “Cattle Decapitation and early Cryptopsy certainly come to mind.”

The look has stayed consistent even as the lineup hasn’t. Olofsson has painted many of the covers, including Unholy Descent, and Metal Archives credits the logo to Jon Zig. The band’s “demented priest” character has shown up on several covers, including The Everlasting Plague, where he appears “as an apex zombie,” according to the press release. The San Diego Reader’s band profile lists Pathology’s influences as “Disgorge, Cattle Decapitation, the Locust, Nile, Destroyer 666, Deicide, Belphegor” and describes the sound as “Like a dentist drill set for stun. But in a GOOD way.”

The Pathology Band’s San Diego Connection

Pathology’s roots are in San Diego. Astor was born here, and The Locust and Cattle Decapitation both came out of the city. The early records were made locally too: Age of Onset at Double Time Studio in El Cajon, Legacy of the Ancients with Jeff Forrest at Doubletime Studios in San Diego, and two Victory albums at Lambesis Studios.

The Pathology band lineup has drawn heavily on local death metal. Matti Way, Levi Fuselier, Diego Sanchez and Oscar Ramirez all have Disgorge on their Metal Archives credits. Daniel Richardson came from Condemned, and Metal Archives lists 2018 vocalist Clayton Meade in Condemned as well. The two bands shared the Aug. 3, 2022, Brick by Brick bill with Decrepit Birth.

Brick by Brick was a regular stop. The Brutal Annihilation Tour opened there on Aug. 3, 2018, and Pathology also played the Bay Park club with Narcotic Wasteland on Aug. 30, 2019, and with Decrepit Birth and Condemned in 2022. That room is gone now; our report on the Brick by Brick closing covers its last show on Aug. 13, 2026.

Local press wasn’t always kind. Previewing that 2019 Brick by Brick show, the San Diego Reader wrote that Pathology “used to be a local joke” playing “death metal-lite.” It also said the band had “developed a somewhat more original sound,” along with “a fan base large enough to support major headline tours.” The reviews since then have mostly backed that up. Press reports as recent as November 2025 still call the band San Diego-based.

What’s Next: Tripp Taylor, Album 13 and the Whisky

On Aug. 4, 2026, the Pathology band introduced Tripp Taylor as its new vocalist, saying his “intensity, power, and unique style have brought a new level of aggression to our sound.” Taylor also sings in Last of Our Kind, which describes itself as “a 4-piece metal band from Southern California,” formed in 2018 and managed by Brandan Schieppati of Bleeding Through.

The same post thanked Obie Flett “for his dedication, hard work, and contributions to Pathology.” The band didn’t give a reason for Flett’s exit, and we haven’t seen one reported anywhere.

The 13th album is done. “Recording has wrapped, and the album is now entering the final stages of mixing and mastering,” the band said on its official news page. It compared the record to its 2012 benchmark: “Fans of The Time of Great Purification will recognize the relentless brutality and crushing heaviness that defined that era.”

The band has been teasing this record since at least November 2025, and it hasn’t put a date on it. In November 2025, the band said most of the recording was complete, and ThePRP’s report on that update said “a 2026 release date expected.” In August, the band said the album title, artwork and release date would come “in the coming weeks.” As of Oct. 29, none of those details had been posted on the band’s site, so there is no title, label or release date yet.

The band’s bio also hints at what comes next. It says Pathology is “Now entering a new chapter with DISTORTION / REIGNING PHOENIX MUSIC.” That single line is the only mention we’ve found. Reigning Phoenix Music and Kataklysm frontman Maurizio Iacono’s Distortion Music Group announced a partnership in 2024, but we haven’t seen a formal signing announcement for Pathology, and neither the band nor the labels have tied a release to it.

Pathology at the Whisky a Go Go, Nov. 29

The only date on Pathology’s tour page is Sunday, Nov. 29, at 6 p.m., at the Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood, with Fear Factory and Darkest Hour. The band announced it on March 11. The TicketWeb listing also names Brotality, Infinite Sleep and Voices of Ruin.

No San Diego date has been announced. Fear Factory and Darkest Hour play House of Blues San Diego on Wednesday, Nov. 25, with Brotality, but Pathology isn’t on that bill, so the Whisky is the closest chance to see the band this year. 2026 marks 20 years since the band formed, but it hasn’t promoted an anniversary; its bio says only “Nearly two decades after the band’s formation.”

Pathology Band Discography

All 12 studio albums from the Pathology band, with release dates and labels from Metal Archives and the band’s site.

Metal Archives lists no EPs or splits. The singles include “Code Injection” (2010), “Tyrannical Decay” (2012), “Cult of the Black Triangle” (2024) and “Psychotronic Abominations” (2024). “Alone” from Throne of Reign appears on the soundtrack to the 2016 film Deathgasm.

Twenty Years of the Pathology Band

Few San Diego death metal bands reach year 20, and fewer get there with 12 albums behind them. Pathology has come through a van that rolled on black ice in North Dakota, more than a dozen lineup changes, a five-year stretch as a studio-only project and a label path that ran from Victory to Sevared to its own imprint, then Nuclear Blast and Agonia. Dave Astor has been behind the kit for all of it.

Now the band heads into its third decade with a new voice in Tripp Taylor and a 13th record that’s finished but still waiting on a title and a date. Until that news lands, Nov. 29 at the Whisky is the first chance to hear the new lineup live. When the band finally names the album, sdmetal will have it.

Pathology Band FAQ