This is the eighth album from Finnish grindcore band Rotten Sound.
Following on from 2018’s Suffer to Abuse, Apocalypse unleashes a condensed barrage of mayhem and carnage for us to be punished by. 18 songs in just 21 minutes? Count me in! None of the tracks on Apocalypse breach the 2-minute mark. This is an album of brief bursts of violence and eruptions of savage brutality.
The songs are concise, energetic, and well-written. Despite the short duration, the music has clearly been thought about, with due consideration given to things like dynamics, impact, when to hold back, (relatively speaking), and when to fully release the brakes. Rotten Sound have a real talent for grind, and on their latest this is very well-realised.
Apocalypse is tight and vicious. It’s a fast and furious affair, delivering the sort of intensity that I love in my grindcore. The blast beats are murderous and harsh, but around these the band still find a bit of space to throw in the occasional bout of grinding groove or crushing d-beat crust. There’s a whiff of rotten Swedish death metal that’s meaty and gruesome, and rarely too far away from the heart of the music; this is a band that have all of the chainsaws they could ever want in their sound. At the heart of it all though Rotten Sound just want to griiiiinnndddd, and Apocalypse is simply great fun to listen to.
Boasting about a million riffs, relentless drums, and an impressive arsenal of aggressive weaponry, Apocalypse is the sort of album that makes me remember why I fell in love with grindcore all those many years ago. If you’re at all partial to the style then you need Rotten Sound in your life.
Essential listening.
Wonderbox Metal 