Australia has a vibrant and diverse metal scene, with great bands across a broad range of genres. I know this with the rational part of my brain, the part that tries to observe and remember. But when I think of Australian metal, I admit that I tend to reflexively think first of death metal, and in particular the kind of death metal that resembles what you hear about all the flora and fauna in the Outback, i.e., that everything is trying to kill you.
Earth Rot come from Perth, Australia. They are a death metal band, but not a straight-forward, undiluted death metal band, as you will discover when you listen to the title track we’re premiering from their new EP, Chthonian Virtues.
This is the band’s third release overall, following their debut EP Dirt and their first album The Black Smoke, both of which appeared in 2014. Chthonian Virtues houses five songs, and while it’s true that they’re all indeed trying to kill you, listening to them is an exhilarating experience for other reasons besides that one.
The vocalist’s proclamations in this title track have a tyrannical air, and the music behind him his equally militaristic and merciless. It’s a whirlwind of deep, threshing sound — tearing, pummeling, disorienting. There are bursts of soloing in the song, as if a djinn’s lamp has been thoughtlessly uncapped, and a raging spirit has been loosed upon the world. If there is something wanting in this fleet flood of ferocity, it’s only that it’s too short. If there’s an extra spice in the brevity, it’s that it beckons you to play it again… which is so easy and so compulsive a thing to do. This is the kind of slaughtering you need, like a black nectar on your tongue.
Chthonian Virtues features cover art by Septian at Illustranesia and it will be released on April 11 (CD and digital download). Pre-order it via the Bandcamp link below.
http://earthrot.com.au/album/chthonian-virtues
http://earthrot.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/earthrotband
8 Responses to “AN NCS PREMIERE: EARTH ROT — “CHTHONIAN VIRTUES””
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“Posted by Islander at 4:30 am”. How come so many tend to be sleepless in Seattle? I believe Tom Hanks even made a documentary about this phenomenon. 😉
With striking fist first action and malevolent gloom, Earth Rot seems to be some kind of phenomenon too.
Someone call mr. Hanks, as this phenomenon has more depth to base a new movie on than the aforementioned.
I think he normally schedules some posts to go up when the West Coast is asleep, yet the rest of the world is alive/ Either that or the lorises have compromised his passcode protections.
That being said, this track rips.
The lorises? Hahaha… Where the hell did that come from 🙂
I’m actually aware that Islander schedules posts, but I just had to get that shitty reference of my chest.
People who’ve been hanging around here a long time know about the lorises. Every now and then I have to threaten to send a ninja loris cadre after people who have annoyed me. Death will not come quickly, but it will come. Most of the time I’m just watching my own back and hoping they don’t get out of the compound and try to wreck terrible vengeance on me.
Ah, I see. Must be a while since last annoyance and subsequent threat.
Them critters might be small, but there be savagery in numbers!
Earth Rot exude a macho swagger and confidence not unlike Entombed on “Wolverine Blues.” Definite death-n-roll vibe here. Dig it!
This sounds killer!
This is quite good, isn’t it?