Jungle Rot - Fueled By Hate
Olympic Recordings - 2004
By Philip Whitehouse
I'm about to show myself up to be something of a hypocrite, I'm afraid. Y'see, usually when I review death metal bands for this site, I can be heard bemoaning bands that fail to progress significantly, or offer something that's been heard a hundred times before, or basically who fail to fulfill the completely unreasonable expectation we critics sometimes have for a band to pull a completely new style of music out of their arse and present it for our inspection. Occasionally, I forget that a skilled execution of a recognisable style can easily be as satisfying as hearing something totally new, if in the right frame of mind for it.
In an age where death metal is frantically trying out-do itself with increased speed, increased technicality, increased brutality etcetera, a band like Jungle Rot deserve to be celebrated for sticking to their mid-tempo, groove laden, simplistic hardcore-inflected death metally goodness. No fret-shredding histrionics for these guys - the power chord says all they need to say, and in a satisfyingly meaty down-tuned voice, too. Imagine Cannibal Corpse without the technicality, or Six Feet Under's Haunted played with even more single-minded focus, and you've got a fair idea where Jungle Rot are coming from.
Each song is short, brutal and concise. Not a bludgeoning riff or stomping breakdown is wasted, and as such the album is over at a gnat's chuff under half an hour - the perfect amount of time for the material not to get too samey. If you've heard previous releases Dead And Buried or Slaughter The Weak, you know what you're getting here - more of the same. But just for once, this is actually a pretty good thing.
7.5/10
Jungle Rot Official Website
Olympic Recordings
Olympic Recordings - 2004
By Philip Whitehouse
I'm about to show myself up to be something of a hypocrite, I'm afraid. Y'see, usually when I review death metal bands for this site, I can be heard bemoaning bands that fail to progress significantly, or offer something that's been heard a hundred times before, or basically who fail to fulfill the completely unreasonable expectation we critics sometimes have for a band to pull a completely new style of music out of their arse and present it for our inspection. Occasionally, I forget that a skilled execution of a recognisable style can easily be as satisfying as hearing something totally new, if in the right frame of mind for it.
In an age where death metal is frantically trying out-do itself with increased speed, increased technicality, increased brutality etcetera, a band like Jungle Rot deserve to be celebrated for sticking to their mid-tempo, groove laden, simplistic hardcore-inflected death metally goodness. No fret-shredding histrionics for these guys - the power chord says all they need to say, and in a satisfyingly meaty down-tuned voice, too. Imagine Cannibal Corpse without the technicality, or Six Feet Under's Haunted played with even more single-minded focus, and you've got a fair idea where Jungle Rot are coming from.
Each song is short, brutal and concise. Not a bludgeoning riff or stomping breakdown is wasted, and as such the album is over at a gnat's chuff under half an hour - the perfect amount of time for the material not to get too samey. If you've heard previous releases Dead And Buried or Slaughter The Weak, you know what you're getting here - more of the same. But just for once, this is actually a pretty good thing.
7.5/10
Jungle Rot Official Website
Olympic Recordings
