Rotten Sound — Species at War

Species at War is the seventh EP from Finnish grinders Rotten Sound. That's not to say seventh release, as in their 20 years, they have released six full lenghts, seven EPs, three splits, one single, a DVD, and a compilation track. The boys have been busy! Thankfully, though, they've avoided the common genre problem of being TOO busy and releasing more crap than quality. Their latest, Species at War, is an aural assault and a very worthy addition to their catalog.

Since it will take me longer to write this review than the runtime of the EP, I'll start with this: it's intense and blistering. This is the exact album I would've creamed over twenty years ago. Luckily, I'm a total Peter Pan (I look super hot in green tights) and haven't grown much since then (waist size, yes, maturity, no way). "Cause" starts this record of with a ferocity that grabs you by your balls. The drums are blazing, the guitars are tuned low, and the vocals are nice and rough. "The Game" changes things up a bit. It starts off with more of a hardcore/death hybrid VERY reminiscent of Entombed. Actually, I would describe the guitar sound on this EP as classically Swedish (Boss HM-2, anyone?). Whether I'm being ignorant or not, I don't really care. "The Game" drops a solid, heavy groove and a nice change up from "Cause." "War" does a combo of the first two tracks: speed and groove. There are a few excellent hardcore breakdowns scattered through the speedfest. The last three tracks basically follow the same formula with different breakdown locations. It works and the album is short enough that you're not going to tire of the formula. As a bonus, the album cover looks like something I would doodle in my D&D notebook (if I could draw). 
 

Rotten Sound's Species at War doesn't sound rotten to me. It is quick and brutal and never outstays its welcome. Some genres lend themselves to shorter formats, and grind is one of 'em. This is a solid album and I'll definitely free up some space on my iPod for it.