Rottenomicon – Fuck You Very Much (Tex's review)

Rottenomicon is a death metal band that incorporates some thrashy and groovy riffing with modern brutality. The riffs throughout the demo remind me of mid-paced old school death metal like Obituary and Cannibal Corpse’s groovier moments, minus the technicality of the latter band. The band focuses mainly on keeping it simple and brutal, however there are some nice melodic touches now and again such as a few riffs in the second track “losesdupicia.”

The drumming is a near constant barrage of double kicks and blast beats that keeps the songs ploughing forward. While not varying much, the playing is very tight, powerful and energetic. The bass isn’t very prominent, but it serves to add necessary chunkiness to the riffs. The production is perfect for this kind of release, clear but still a bit gritty with natural sounding drums, and heavy but not over-processed guitars.

Vocally, this demo is very one track. The vocals are basically two-tone: guttural and more guttural. Considering the straight forward death metal sound the band seems to be going for though, this is perfectly acceptable. While not very versatile, the vocals are incredibly powerful and define the word “sick.” Just what you’d want from this kind of release.

It would have been nice to hear some more leads or solos, as the one that appears halfway through the last track “Infectious Perceptions” really helped to spice up what would have been just another four minutes of heavy riffs. While I appreciate that the band has a solid idea of what they’re going for and don’t screw around or feel the need to really show off, the three songs do all have relatively the same feel and tempo, nothing really separating one song from the other. I’m also not really digging the title of the demo as it makes me think of some third rate tough guy Lamb of God shit rather than face smashing death metal.

Essentially, these guys have a very focused and solid sound. They know what they’re doing and they do it well, but while decent, even good, it’s just not remarkable. The songs, while heavy, brutal and fun, really need some kind of hook to set them apart. This band has their sound down, now they just elaborate on song ideas and create something more memorable.

Tex's rating: 67%