(Here, our contributor Zoltar shines a light on the recently released split Doomed To Rot by two death metal devastators — Druid Lord from the U.S. and the German/Swedish group Rotpit.)
Split releases may appear like a thing of the past but, Satan be thanked, some cool bands and underground labels out there carry on that long tradition, let it be by pure opportunity or, in today’s case, simply to show each other some good old respect. And why the hell not? Especially when the two bands in question aren’t exactly playing what you would call, well, half-ass death metal.
Here in the US, you’re probably more familiar with DRUID LORD: Formed over fifteen years ago by former EQUINOX and ACHERON veterans Peter Slate (guitar) and Tony Blakk (bass & vocals), completed since 20016 by KILLING ADDICTION’s Chris Wicklein (guitar) and MASSACRE’s Elden Santos (drums), they’ve been growing in strength over the course of three albums and a whole bunch of splits, showcasing their heavy-as-fuck doom/death take on the classic Floridian style.
On the flipside, you’ll find the Swedish/German supergroup ROTPIT, spearheaded by Ralf Hauber from REVEL IN FLESH, assisted by his partner-in-crime in HEADS FOR THE DEAD Jonny Pettersson (the man of a thousand bands/projects like WOMBBATH, HUMAN HARVEST and so on) and, on drums since last year, Erik Barthold from LEFT HAND SOLUTION. Last November, the lads released Long Live The Rot, a downtuned delicacy of epic proportions that would make BLOODBATH barf and run for cover.
Druid Lord above, Rotpit below
Both bands offer here an exclusive track each and Hauber kindly agreed to give us a quick lowdown on this release, due on Polish powerhouse Behind The Mountain, with a special version coming up next for the US.
“DOOMED to ROT has been the motto for this split EP. With ROTPIT our idea was to create a heavy monolith type of song that enters the feeling, vibe and music territory of DRUID LORD. Our track “Golem Of Rot” is of course inspired lyrically by the mystic legend of the Golem of Prague. Well, in our case the golem is made of rot instead of clay and of course it’s more an underworld freak creature doing some mess around. Our song is super heavy and it really pays off that Erik Barthold comes from the Doom Metal scene. Delivering the slow and moody stuff is sometimes more difficult for extreme Metal drummers than you might expect.
“DRUID LORD have with “Fatal Fog” a quite fast track, but it also encloses the creep and horror vibes, which speaks for their style. Both bands and tracks fit like a fist in the face!
“Both songs are exclusive and not released before.
“The artwork was done by Polish artist Rafal Kruszyk (INTERMENT, COFFINS, ENTRAILS etc.) and shows off a lot of dedication and a unique style in drawing. Handmade art for a release in the old school underground way. The vinyl version (lim. 300 / black wax) is out through Behind The Mountain Records and a tape version with a different layout setting will be out in the US by Gurgling Gore Records. Both songs will be out on digital format, too.
“DEATH DOOM ROT = is what you get here ”
Not convinced yet? Check out the official video for ROTPIT‘s own “Golem Of Rot”, and the stream of DRUID LORD‘s “Fatal Fog” below:
https://behindthemountain.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/DruidDeathCult
https://www.facebook.com/Rotpit666