As an uncompromising, grindcore-to-the-bone band that has been going strong for over 20 years, Rotten Sound would definitely be placed on my personal “Mount Rushmore of Grind”, along with Nasum, Napalm Death and Pig Destroyer.  We’ve had to wait five long years since their last LP, but time has done nothing but help as their sound on this latest output is just as caustic and explosive as ever.

And holy hell that guitar tone.  It’s sick.  PLAIN.  FUCKING.  SICK.  ZIKA AND THE EBOLA VIRUS HAD BABIES LEVEL SICK.  It’s a nasty (dare I say rotten?!?) buzzsaw guitar tone that is instantly recognizable as one of the most distinctive in all of metal.  These guys, along with Meshuggah, are 2 bands that I would recognize instantly by the sound of their guitars alone after listening to no more than 5 seconds of any track.  It’s that tone that forms the basis of another absolutely inredible album.

The album starts out with “Lazy Asses”, which features a short intro before the 25 second mark at which point the aforementioned guitar tone of Mika Aalto and the raving lunatic vocals of Keijo Niinimaa are released upon your cochleae with the subtlety of roundhouse kick.  Halfway through the next track, “Intellect”, is where the tempo slows down a bit, which I have always loved when they decide to go that route.  It’s likely the fact that the slower tempos really allow the guitar tone to open up a bit more and one can further relish it in all its glory (have I mentioned yet how bad ass the guitar tone is?).  This carries over into the opening of the next track, “Fear of Shadows”, before the subsequent ones get back to doing little more than inciting violence with drummer Sami Latva’s furious blasts and Niinimaa’s vocal bombs.

There’s a well-chosen mixture of these two styles on the rest of the album before culminating in the final track, “Extortion and Blackmail”, which I can (and have) been listening to on repeat as it’s that damn good.  It’s the optimal blend of speed and chaos in the beginning, before dropping into a drawn out lurching riff at the one minute mark that heaves and chugs its way to the end of the song while being backed by Niinimaa’s pained vocals.

In typical grindcore fashion, all songs on this album hover around the 1-2 minute mark, save for the last track which is actually the longest one on the album at just under 5 minutes (it’s worth nothing that there is a bonus version with 2 extra tracks (18 total), but my press copy ended at 16).  The whole album is just over 28 minutes, and features a killer production that allows you to hear what is going on but comes nowhere near to the dreaded “overly polished” sound found on a lot of modern metal.  It definitely helps that guitarist Mika Aalto and Keijo Niinimaa have been around since the band’s inception in 1993, as they have formed an unshakeable foundation to their sound.  No doubt a contender for album of the year, and an absolute must buy.

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments