Consuming Impulse was a turning point for me as well. I used to be in tape trading, and traded with Randy Meinhard, their German guitarist on Malleus Maleficarum, and I had their 2 demos... They're gone now, unfortunately, but Pestilence was something very special for me! Recently I found the 2 first albums on CD, and I still listen to them! Fantastic!
When my old band played in Holland with Dark Angel, Patrick Mameli was there, and I just think he was a brilliant mind in metal. I hope he will come back with the same intelligence as he portrayed back then. Don't care what kind of music it is, as long as it's well performed.