Jungle Rot have been pummeling audiences worldwide with their death metal onslaught for over a quarter of a century now. Dave Matrise has remained an ever present in a line up that has seen numerous members come and go, not letting internal instability stop him record and release eight full length records. 25 years on and album number nine is here.
People seem to put a lot of stock in self-titled albums, as if they’re some sort of statement about the artist and what their definitive sound is. I suppose you could say this album typifies Jungle Rot, who having been playing within their own boundaries for a good while now. Those who’ve been exposed to their particular strain of death metal will know what to expect. For the uninitiated, the Wisconsinites play it simple yet relentlessly heavy, complete with a thick, raw guitar tone that gives the material a loose, organic feel. At its most intense, it can hit you like a ton of bricks, particularly early on in this record when the pace is at its quickest. This wall of noise can be quite overwhelming, although that’s likely the intention, as this is not the sort of thing that you’re supposed to be able to drift off to. The songs themselves are built from three core components: thrashing riffs, crushing grooves and surges of tremolo picked fury. The degree of success for this particular approach is dependent on which particular aspect of this sound they focus on in any given song.
The first half of the record is where much of the pacier cuts lie, with “Send Forth Oblivion”, “A Burning Cinder” and “Fearmonger” all travelling at a brisker pace than much of the album’s B-side. Whilst there’s little to fault about any of the songs, they don’t do anything special and are quite passive. Once the initial impact of “Send Forth Oblivion” wears off, it’s deficiencies are there for all to see, whilst the presence of Destruction’s Schmier to offset Matrise’s gruff bark does little to invigorate “Fearmonger”. The slow building march of “Delusional Denial” is the only track of note until we pass the halfway point, with the gradual layering of guitars and the piercing tremolo riffs midway through sure to drive the pits into a frenzy.
At this point I was almost ready to write Jungle Rot off, but the thrashing chugs of “Stay Dead” represent a turning point. It’s not groundbreaking, but the dense, crushing nature of the composition, as well as the wonderful lead work weaved around the riffing structure, signals an upturn in the album’s fortunes. The best then comes with “Glory for the Fallen”, another song where less is more, built around a ridiculously catchy groove and more superb guitar melodies. “Pumped Full of Lead” struggles to live up to the preceding duo, and also suffers due to its brief run time, leaving it underdeveloped, but “Twisted Mind” gets things back on track, nailing the fast, thrashy approach that had fallen flat on earlier tracks. A bruising take on Kreator’s “Terrible Certainty” closes the album. With the exception of a few changes to the vocal patterns, it remains largely faithful to the source, although the beefed up rhythm guitars see it lose a little of the crippling viciousness of the original.
This is ultimately an album of two halves. It’s largely ordinary for the first five tracks, and by this point less patient listeners may switch off. Persevere past the halfway mark and things vastly improve, and from then on Jungle Rot rarely put a foot wrong. I can’t see this making many end of year lists due to its backloaded nature, but it’s a decent album all the same, so if death metal with plenty of grooves and thrash influence is your thing, it’s worth a punt.
Highlights: “Delusional Denial”, “Stay Dead”, “Glory for the Fallen”
Find out more about Jungle Rot here:
Jungle Rot is available now via Victory Records, and can be purchased here.
