This record has been a long time coming. It had been announced quite awhile back with little to no info given to anyone outside of the Deathwish camp. In the meantime Rot In Hell went about further building their name as one of the next great European Hardcore bands. Rot In Hell are generally related to the sound Integrity has created and nurtured over the course of their career. That is to say, they generally get lumped in with Holy Terror style bands. This can only be used as a mere starting point as Rot In Hell have grown beyond that simple musical idea and into their own creature. While the Hallways Of Alway anthology release last year would do a good job of introductions this LP is where the band truly get to shine. And shine they do.
The band has built their reputation on a truly evil and heavy sounding brand of hardcore. Within the general scheme of metallic hardcore most bands employ stock breakdowns and semi metallic leads in an effort to sound heavier than the next band. Rot In Hell tend to do their own thing. This is made clear with the first song. "Fulminate Of Mercury" starts everything off with atmosphere and feedback slowly building on a truly eerie sounding. This acts as the perfect introduction to the album. As each song only goes towards carrying this atmosphere for the entire album.
The guitars roll along using feedback as its own instrument. This allows the songs to feel truly disturbing and much more nasty. When the clean guitar piece pops up for "Hallways Of Always" it helps to make for a moving interlude. No instrument is used to carry the weight of the others as each player gets their own bit of the songs.
Production wise things stay a bit grimy, This helps to carry the atmosphere of the songs throughout. Nothing is too clear within the mix. What must be said with that is nothing is lost either. Everything is pushed towards carrying the atmosphere and the songs themselves as opposed to a particular instrument or piece. This is an album in the strongest sense of the world. While short each song is put in it's correct place never feeling that it is anywhere other than where it should be.
The artwork only goes to help the cause. With a truly menacing looking piece on the cover. This leads to the gatefold cover opening to a truly creepy photograph. This sense of darkness embodies the attitude of the album without giving too much away. Whoever buys this gets a real gift in both the visual and auditory nuances of the album.
With this album Rot In Hell are not only the great hope for European hardcore but a band that truly deserves your attention. They demand your ears for the full running time and never let go. The only question is how can RIH attempt to top this album next time out?
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