Rottenomicon - Fuck you Very Much (Curt's review)

    When I first heard the name "Rottenomicon" It immediately made me think of some sort of evil comic book convention.  Apparently it is a Greek word that in English means: "An Image of the Rotten Law."  After listening to this demo and reading the lyrics this band truly portrays an image of the decaying society that we live in.

     I can tell that these guys are very influenced by early-mid 90's death metal especially Napalm Death.  Many of the riffs present strongly remind me of the "Harmony Corruption" album but it would be silly to call this band a "Napalm Death" rip off.  Musical influences are all over the place but it doesn't seem like the band has a musical identity of its own.  Most of this album is very forgettable and sounds like "generic death metal."  What would have helped make the riffs stand out would be more drumming variation.  If there were a few half time sections with the drumming it would make the riffs stand out much more on their own.  There are some really cool melodic solos in the last 2 songs and I would have liked to hear more of these.  Vocally this reminds me of the guttural style Chris Barns adopted on "Butchered at Birth."  

     The lyrics are very political in an all encompassing sort of way (like Napalm Death), there is nothing overly specific that would prevent a person from a different country from appreciating what is said.  I can tell that these guys speak English fairly well from reading their lyrics so there is no excuse for the title.  There is nothing clever or witty about the title "Fuck you Very Much" it is incredibly childish.  Seriously... are you 13? 12? no? but I digress... 

     I really like this release and I enjoyed listening to it, these guys are talented musicians that are drawing influences from the right places.  Despite the fact that I said a lot of negative things, I honestly do appreciate what this band is trying to accomplish.  This is death metal and there is nothing overtly bad about it, I am sure that in time this band will develop and identity of their own and when they do, I will be listening to it and banging my head!

Check these guys guys out, there is no way you can like death metal and not like this band:
http://www.reverbnation.com/rottenomicon

Curtis Review: 70%

Amputation Spree – Terminal Velocity (Tex's Review)

     When I saw the band name, EP title and song titles I was ready for some brutal old school gorefest that would leave me squealing like a recently defiled schoolgirl. That turned out not to be the case, but what we have here is a decent work of modern “brutal” death metal.

     The main problem with this release is the severe lack of riffs. A lot of the time the songs are comprised of a few chords either chugging along or ringing out over a mid to slow paced drum beat, even trudging dangerously close to “breakdown” territory. I’m assuming this is where the band gets its “brutal” moniker from, but for me this kind of riffing (or lack thereof) is just jarring rather than heavy or brutal and serves mostly to derail the good ideas in the songs.

     Thankfully there are a lot of good ideas on this EP. Some great ones in fact! The use of synths in both “Third World Genocide Machine” and “Sudden Monolithic Realization of Chaos and Suffering” were a great unexpected touch that lends these songs some atmosphere while lending an epic flavour reminiscent of the use of synth in works by Nile and Nocturnus. These are also subsequently the best tracks on the EP, the latter containing a fantastic melodic solo section that I wish wasn’t so low in the mix or bookended by chuggy breakdowns. The absolute highlight of the EP is the vocal work which is truly brutal, consistent and professional sounding throughout the entire release.

     Unfortunately, the really great sections are hampered by the aforementioned lack of riffs, a plodding pace throughout and some bizarre choices in song structure. The artwork of the EP made me instantly think there might be some Human era Death style writing and structure going on here, but when the songs get unconventional they get clunky and almost lost. Especially bewildering is the fade-out-fade-in parts in “Addicting to Beheading Children Part II” (10 bonus points for this song title, btw). The first time it seemed kind of original and cool, even if a little oddly placed, but having it several times in one song just doesn’t work.

     While I may seem pretty critical, the parts that are good really are quite good, and the parts that aren’t don’t ruin the EP, even if they are abundant. While it completely defied my expectations and isn’t really the kind of death metal I’m into, with time and refinement this band could put out something really cool.

Tex's review:  65%