Given the vast breadth of possibilities that the underground has to boast at any given moment, it really does seem as though anything is possible. As such, there are loads of bands always vying for their own territory as they try to stand out and make themselves known amongst stiff competition, but, as you might imagine, it’s an exceedingly difficult thing to achieve. Many try to take their chosen sound and push it to great lengths in order to discover what they can bring to the table, but there’s always something to be said about creations that seek nothing but the perpetuation of what the sound has already long been known for. A stripped-down, straightforward offensive can deadly in its deadliness. Rising from the foundation it made for itself last year, Rot Fester’s second effort is short but nonetheless effective.

While I have always been a big believer in really taking your time with new material, letting it bake long enough in the oven such that you get a fully realized creation when it’s all said and done, there are few things that can compare to when you’re filled with such passion and bright ideas that you have no choice but to act swiftly lest the inspiration abandon you. By no means did Rot Fester seek to advance death metal as a whole when they first came around last year, yet that didn’t stop them for a moment from delivering material that was as true to the sound as it was promising for what it did manage to offer listener. With just five tracks in its forthcoming EP, “Death Row”, it’s clear that Rot Fester sought to strike while the iron was hot with results that are similar but showcasing a good level of growth. More melodic this time around but never once lacking in that factor of undeniable nastiness, filth, and the thick stench of undeath that permeates practically every factor of the release, it’s here that Rot Fester manages to explore a little bit of new territory while ensuring that their personal brand of death metal remains the center focus of what’s thrown down. “Death Row” doesn’t waste so much as a moment of the listeners time as it’s through great riffs and undeniable knowledge of the sound that the EP is allowed to propagate and prosper. It’s nothing fancy, but it doesn’t need to be in order to deliver the goods.

By no means is this death metal that seeks any grand fate through overly complex songwriting or mechanisms. Rather, “Death Row” was crafted by hands that knew precisely what they were going for right out of the gate: death metal of an old school variety that feels raw, blunt, and relatively simple but always gets the job done in such a fashion with power that’s nothing short of eviscerating. Rot Fester has already shown itself to have the vision, and it’s now here that they prove to have the tenacity to really seize their destiny.

“Death Row” releases on November 21st!

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