Worm Gear

Pure fuckin’ grind from Finland, Rotten Sound’s latest EP Species at War eye-punches the uninitiated with a six-song socket violation bent on making you a believer in whatever the hell they choose to rail about. With a Scandinavian “Rotten” (heh) guitar sound that has RS’s own unique crusty branding burned into it, this album, like it predecessors, is nothing short of a knife to carve up this world. Spacing out the woodpecker-on-crack snare blasts and charred lung vocal delivery are the band’s malevolent Doom-infected riffs that are neither a respite nor meant to be; each exists as just another vessel for Rotten Sound’s cavalcade of molten decimation to dissolve you. ‘Peace’ has an ultra-brief half-time moment sure to please any diehard Nasum fan, and stand-out track ‘War’ shocks with a Meshuggah-esque syncopation, but delivered with a force those time-signature shysters have lacked since Destroy Erase Improve. Closer ‘Salvation’ ties the knot in the noose of this suicide with the best slime-filled ride-riff this side of ‘Wolverine Blues’ (yes, I do in fact like that song). Intended as an amuse-bouche for their next full-length, rest assured that this EP is far from filler. Species at War is the most grind-fun you’re likely to find in under ten minutes. -Jim

Relapse Records

~ by cliftonium on January 8, 2013.

Posted in ALL REVIEWS, R-reviews
Tags: Finland, Grindcore, Relapse Records, Rotten Sound