Rude is interesting band, not musically per se, but historically speaking. They were doing the OSDM thing long before the OSDM revival converted hardcore kids from Turnstile to Bolt Thrower over night. They’ve been around in some form or another longer than fellow Californian death squads Skeletal Remains and Necrot. And not only are both of those bands bigger in a general sense, but both featured members who were in Rude at one point in time. This brings us to the question of the day: Why don’t more people know about Rude?
The answer lies within the band’s timing. Their last release, Remnants…, dropped in January of 2017, right at the tip of the OSDM boom. We all know what happened shortly after: Gatecreeper, Tomb Mold, Blood Incantation, the entire Maggot Stomp roster. Granted, some of these bands released their breakthrough albums in 2016, but I feel it took until 2017 for them to fully catch on in terms of a full blown movement. Rude stood patiently in the shadows, waiting for the collective hype surrounding their beloved death metal to die down before returning to strike with their latest musical offering, Outer Reaches.
Although it’s been four years since their last release, Rude hasn’t missed a beat with Outer Reaches. Their lethal take on the Floridian death metal sound infused with the slamming thrash of Demolition Hammer is present as ever from the opening cut, “Chaos (Discarded)”. The band wastes no time hitting the listener where it hurts with a violent midtempo mosh riff. The brutality is intensified by pseudo-beatdown vitriol and grinding Scream Bloody Gore era Death worship. The vocals are a bit muffled in the mix, giving that 80s kvlt demo effect. Following “Chaos (Discarded)” is the title track. A dark, brooding instrumental, it incorporates some Gorguts fashioned dissonance, but without forgetting the thrash and slam that lie at the root of Rude’s sound.
My choice cut, “Astral Cursed Spawn”, wins the award for “Best Morbid Angel Inspired Song of the Year”. Everything from the riffs and vocals to the drumming and arrangement screams Blessed Are the Sick, but I can’t complain. If you’re gonna rip off any album, rip off that one. “Calamity from the Sky” is the hardest hitting track on the EP, with enough slamming riffage to get the pit grooving from side to side. “Adrift” is a brief menacing instrumental jam that sets the stage for the grand finale, “Omega”. Towing the line between mosh and machine gun riffing, it’s textbook death/thrash that goes straight for the jugular.
I’d say Outer Reaches feels like the musical equivalent of hearing back from a long lost friend, but honestly, it doesn’t. Rude plays with such conviction that you’d think they never left. Technically speaking, they never officially broke up, but you know what I mean. If it’s another four years until the next Rude release, it’ll be well worth the wait.
6 out of 10
Label: Headsplit Records
Genre: Death Metal
For fans of: Demolition Hammer, Morbid Angel, Death