Albums

Album Review: The Rotted

[Album: Get Dead Or Die Trying]
[Label: Metal Blade]

Gorerotted. C’mon, say it with me. GOREROTTED. Totally fills you mouth, doesn’t it? Doesn’t it also sound like one of the countless Japanese bands whose band names suggest a poor understanding of the English language? Unfortunately, this London (UK) band decided to shorten their name to The Rotted - the result of a shift in sound and numerous line-up changes. The name change is something I associate with bands that change their music or attitude drastically (usually a result of line-up changes or trend-hopping), but in The Rotted’s case, I don’t think it was necessary, considering the core songwriting members are still present and the shift in sound they mention is more of an expansion of their sound, rather than a change in style or attitude.

The record kicks off with ‘Nothing But A Nose-Bleed’, with the familiar “surgical” (as I like to describe them) blast-beats and heavy riffage Gorerotted were known for, which at first made me wonder whether the name-change was necessary. It’s on later tracks such as ‘Kissing You With My Fists’ and ‘A Brief Moment of Regret’ however that the Rotted appear and demonstrate the new expanses in their sound. Epic album-closer ‘28 Days Later’, a haunting reworking of the eponymous film’s theme, builds upon a droning riff of pure dread. I can’t be sure if they intended it that way, but three minutes into the song, around the time the double foot pedal kicks into life, I feel like scaling a very tall man-made structure or natural peak and unleash the most primitive of roars (like Arnold does when he calls out for the Predator in that film’s climactic final act). I don’t remember Gorerotted tripping out to Sabbath-inspired groovy rock riffs on the mixtapes and CD-R’s my friends back in Greece used to “educate” me with, but it’s definitely a welcome addition to the brutality and humour they were infamous for in their earlier Gorerotted years.

The lasting impression of the songs on this record is that the band has (perhaps co-incidently with their name change) dropped a lot of the gore elements from their music in lieu of a more progressive and technical death direction, but they haven’t compromised on their morbid humour that gore/grind (in my opinion) excels in. So while there might not be any more profanely funny songs like ‘Fuck Your Ass With Broken Glass’ there is now ‘It’s Like There’s A Party In My Mouth (And Everyone’s Being Sick)’ and ‘Angel of Meth’ hinting that the tongue-in-cheek humour is still there while you’re air-drumming away. Whether you like the new name or direction in sound, what this boils down to is a band spreading its wings after years of proficiently creating a simple barrage of aural brutality. Having recently seen them live has also dispelled any possible allegation of “mellowing out” or compromising the live experience for which they have developed a reputation for. Simply put, this is an exciting new Gorerotted record for everyone who wants to see what lies beyond their brutal blueprint.

For fans of: Cephalic Carnage, Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus
Band link = The Rotted

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