Rotten Sound – Species at War EP (Relapse)
Thursday, 2nd May 2013
Lots of band dudes wear Rotten Sound shirts. Perhaps it’s because of their logo, or simply having “Rotten Sound” on their shirt is some kind of indicator of the music they play. You know, “How would I describe our sound? Rotten.” It probably has more to do with the band’s much-lauded blitzkrieg grind/death sound, one that has pushed the extremity envelope rather heavily, most notably on 2005’s Exit. They sure cooked up something fierce there; on the six-song Species of War EP, they do the same…just in eight minutes time.
The brevity of the EP virtually negates its purpose. There’s no onus on quantity over quality, or vice-versa, and because these jams are in and out within a minute’s time, makes it hard to vouch for. The band could have done themselves a favor by extending the mulching on “War,” or tacking on some more straight-ahead face-smashing on “Salvation” and “Peace,” but Rotten Sound is apparently cognizant of your time. Some bands perish the thought of having an entire song under eight minutes; Rotten Sound couldn’t write a song for that length if they tried. Species of War isn’t cute in the slightest; it’s borderline pointless.
