Of all the metal subgenres under the sun, perhaps none are more straightforward and creatively restrictive than grindcore. Defined by short songs, mind numbing riffage (or lack thereof), and blasting drums, it is a genre that, by my own admission, I enjoyed more in my teenage days. There was something magical about that explosive blast of cathartic energy contained to a 30 second song which struck a nerve within my youthful psyche, coming off as the musical equivalent of hard drugs. Of course I continuously revisit the likes of Brutal Truth, Repulsion, Terrorizer, and Napalm Death. How could one not? One band I hadn’t revisited since my extreme metal coming of age was Rotten Sound.
Now going 30 years strong, Rotten Sound are widely respected veterans of not just their native Finnish metal scene, but the global grind community as a whole. As this planet descends down to hell in a handbasket, exacerbated by power hungry politicians and man’s complete disregard for one another, Rotten Sound continues to provide the soundtrack to this ongoing dystopia, and a chaotic one at that. Five years since their last release, the Suffer to Abuse EP, the band have returned with a brand new full length (or at least a full length by grind standards), Apocalypse.
Sonically speaking, Apocalypse stays true to the Rotten Sound ethos. The approach is pure short sharp shock, each song colliding into the next like a mass collision. The majority of the album can be described as this: No riffs. No hooks. Just grind. At least that’s the impression one gets when hearing cuts like “Pacify”, “Renewables”, “True and False”, and the title track. All instruments are played with the utmost ferocity, with zero regard for leaving behind a “catchy riff” or “memorable performance”. No, Rotten Sound are only here to batter you into oblibion.
On the rare occasion a song does veer from this formula, we’re treated to outbursts of classic death metal, old school crust, and even thrash. The unrelenting filth of songs like “Sharing”, “Newsflash”, and “Suburban Bliss” recall pioneering Finnish hardcore outfit Terveet Kädet, with their twisted crust riffs and pulverizing d-beats. “Denialist” serves as the obligatory sludge metal palette cleanser, while the deadly “Digital Bliss” is reminiscent of early 90s death metal gone grind, brooding and unhinged. My choice cut, however, is the deathcrust onslaught that is “Fight Back”. Ironically, the riffs on this one make me want to do exactly that, and the breakdown is absolutely to die for.
While I don’t see myself revisiting Apocalypse or Rotten Sound anytime soon, if only because my threshold for this brand of metal is low to say the least, the album does succeed in what it set out to be: A meat and potatoes grind record. From blasts and d-beats to riffs and no riffs, this glorious paradox of a genre continues to seethe with the same vitriolic rage as its Thatcher era heyday. Make no mistake: You won’t see Rotten Sound, or any grind band for that matter, on the charts. Not now, not ever. And that’s exactly how they want it to be. Keep fighting the grind fight you rotten lifers!
6 out of 10
Label: Season of Mist
Genre: Grindcore
For fans of: Napalm Death, Terveet Kädet, Nasum