I’ve always felt that when you can be recognized by your guitar sound alone, you’ve got a good thing going.  Much like a lead vocalist, a unique guitar sound can instantly set you apart from your peers.  Meshuggah has done it (while sparking legions of copycats).  Slayer has done it.  And so have Rotten Sound.  That nasty, distortion-filled, buzzsaw wall-of-sound guitar filth they pull off is just the essence of metal.  It’s hard to argue any other way.  When this album first hit my ears, it was like an old friend you haven’t talked to in a year, but you shoot the shit with for an hour when you finally have the chance to catch up.

Now clocking in at just over 8 minutes this EP is a long way from an hour, but it drops the hammer regardless of brevity.  Anyone familiar with their sound knows what’s on the menu: the aforementioned guitar nastiness, Keijo Niinimaa’s trademark growl, blast-beats-a-plenty served up by Sami Latva, and a side helping of “FUCK YOU” delivered by bassist Kristian Toivainen.  “Cause” begins the beating, with following track “The Game” showing off the restraint this band so masterfully has worked into their sound in order to keep it from becoming stale, which can be a pitfall of this genre.  “War” sees the same break about halfway through, but if you’re listening to this you know what you’ve came for, and Rotten Sound’s punishment is one your hollow metal heart can’t get enough of.

This is most likely an appetizer for an upcoming full length, and a good excuse to break your New Year’s Resolution of not listening to so much grind metal this year.  Wait… who the hell would actually make THAT New Year’s Resolution?!?

[Visit the band's website]

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