Friday, January 25, 2013

Pass/Fail: Rotten Sound

Believe it or not, Finnish grindcore band Rotten Sound is celebrating its 20th year this summer.  To tide us over between 2011's Cursed and the next full-length to come, the group has released Species At War, a 6-song EP that lasts just over 8 minutes.

Species At War begins with "Cause," and it's instantly clear that Rotten Sound is holding nothing back.  Next comes "The Game," a much slower-paced track with a cool intro and a bit of a sludgy/stoner feel.  "War" picks up the pace and would probably be the strongest song if it weren't for what follows.  "The Solution" builds in intensity and its final 15 seconds is just plain filthy.  "Salvation" gets off to a blistering start and then slows to deliver a killer riff.  And the laughably-titled "Peace" closes the EP in a similar fashion to the way that it began - it's frenetic and doesn't let up.

Aside from the obvious fact that the songs are of a high quality, there are two other reasons why I like the Species At War EP - (1) it leaves you wanting more and (2) Rotten Sound makes it seem so easy.  Consequently, let's hope that the next album comes sooner rather than later.

Grade: Pass


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