Holy fuck this is some good shit! Influenced by American and European Death Metal of the late 80's and early 90's as the band's bandcamp firmly states, Rotted is a one man project that indeed had a penchant for OSDM, but also combines aspects of Death/Doom and Sludge, adding to the brutality and carnage of its predecessors. The album is aptly named "Pestilent Tomb" as the grooves on this maggot infested slab of putrescent flesh is noxious enough the wake the dead. Riffs move and sway like waves of rot, and fester in its disgustingly heavy prominence.
I'm just a sucker for a detuned slow to mid paced heavy groove-laden riff, which are plentiful on "Pestilent Tomb". This is where a lot of the OSDM influence comes from. Riffs stew in their own repetitive filth, as the riffs are simple and heavy. Don't get me wrong though, just because the riffs simple doesn't mean they're stupid. The music just isn't concerned with the technical escapades of more modern Death Metal. The sound production on this release however is definitely more modern, relishing in its agonizing nastiness, without coming off as being too polished or over produced.
The strings are definitely fat and heavy, and there is a good mix between the sludgy chugging of the guitar and the deep low bass sound. Sometimes you can here the bass entering or exiting a riff before or after a pause, and I think that's an awesome way to make you forget you're listening to only one person perform all of the instruments. That and the top notch musicianship. Even though the sound is a little loose like decaying meat off of bone, the playing on this is tight as fuck. Especially the drums. Not everything on this release is slow, as it's clear the intentions aren't to make a straight Death/Doom album. It just so happens that these are the types of riffs that this dude likes playing. However when shit speeds up, the drums make their presence known with wallops of double kicks, and bludgeoning blast beats. The they get out of the way again for the strings and the vocals to do their tending to the dead. Lastly the vocals really kill on this. It's deep, but it cuts through the mix, and is as subtle as a chain saw in a backwoods cannibal massacre.
Overall I really dug this. I'm really into the fast shit, but I also like the stuff that let's you savor the riffs before beating you over the head into a bloody pulp. "Pestilent Tomb" is definitely one of those types of releases for me, and if you're into that kind of shit as well, you should most definitely check this out. Highly recommended! Cheers! -Samir
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