`Soul Rot’ looks like Disfigurement’s first official release. One glance at it, and the listener will almost know exactly what to expect. If you’ll indulge me; the cover has a screaming, mutant skull dripping in green slime and cobwebs, underneath the clear CD tray is a grainy, black and white photo of five serious-looking, pasty young men with long hair, all wearing black t-shirts adorned with spiky, semi-legible logos. Yes, you guessed it – this EP simply screams DEATH METAAAAAL at you. The look of it ticks every single box.
Luckily, so does the music. The members of Disfigurement (from Atlanta, Georgia – not to be confused with other bands of the same name) clearly love classic death metal, not just from the look of their EP, but also their sound. This is no trendy, modern-style chaotic blast fest, or guitar gymnastics display, but a solid, heavy, pounding piece of work, with masses of gusto, feeling and dark energy.
The guitars have that grim, underground tone found on a lot of classic death metal – definitely dark, creepy and atmospheric as well as being heavy and flesh-ripping. On its own it would probably sound very mid-range, but combined with the hammering drums, eerie solos, nasty, hacking vocals and rumbling bass, this is the absolute classic death metal sound of early Morbid Angel, Death and the like.
There are some fantastic guitar solos throughout the EP; not too many young bands understand the importance of the guitar solo in extreme metal, but Disfigurement really know how to craft an eerie, dramatic solo bursting with drama and morbid melody, without simply being obsessed by technicality. This is not to say they aren’t masters of their instruments; they clearly are.
There are also a few (dare I say it) slightly diverse influences tossed into this charred cauldron of gnarly death metal; as well as classic American influences such as Morbid Angel and Possessed, I also hear a hint of dark Swedish nastiness too, in particular Necrophobic. I don’t know if the band are fans of this bunch of Satanic Scandinavians particularly, but I can hear their particular blackened, dramatic overtones occasionally, and it really adds a little something extra.
This is all well and good I hear you say, but what about the actual songs? They may well have the death metal feel, but are the songs any good? Yes, I can report that they sure do! All five songs are expertly crafted like this band were there at the beginning, and have a great balance between dark, brutality, pace and ferocity, and morbid grimness. Of course you have heard it before (probably many times), but here in particular it is done very well, with real feeling and conviction.
(8/10 Jon Butlin)
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