Album Review: Red Rot – Mal de Vivre (Svart Records)

Italy’s Red Rot is the new extreme metal band of Luciano Lorusso George and Davide Tiso, formerly of Ephel Duath, and their debut ‘Mal de Vivre’, is out on August 26th, 2022 via Svart Records.

A hefty slice of extreme, Red Rot come out swinging on this debut album with 17 painful punches. Beginning with Ashes, Red Rot’s dark and mutated style of technical blackened doom, thrash and death spreads through the nervous system quickly. Infecting everything, twisting and corrupting the very soul. All this, with just one track. That should make it clear that this album is pretty special.

Undeceased is a much faster and wilder effort, showcasing the technicality that Red Rot has in spades in a short amount of time. Whereas Near Disaster lays the doom on thickly and Everlasting Creature scowls and screams in brutal fashion. Both delivered in short and sharp blasts. Before the oozing sore of darkness that Rod Rot has at its core comes crawling forth with wicked intent on After the Funeral and the blood flies as Alpha Predator’s sharp teeth sink in. The latter, featuring unexpected clean vocal moments.

The moving between genres but always with the sound of extreme at the forefront makes listening to Mal de Vivre a challenge. One that most will be comfortable stepping up and taking on because the abilities of its members is so impressive, you’re constantly in awe and excited to hear what comes next.

Greatest Failure, Behind the Secret, Conversation with the Demon, Dualism, Emotional Neglect and Gruesome Memento. The middle part of the album is heavy, intense, dark and with ferocious banger after banger. It’s also so unique to hear tracks like this range in such length. Some tracks barely pass the minute mark (Dishonourably Discharged and Maelstrom for example) and others (Under Attack) have a bit more of a drawn out ‘oomph’ to them. Bleak, blackened, monstrous and malicious noise.

Regardless of length, each track mentioned and the likes of Dysmorphia and Peregrin deliver crushing, chunky and infectious extreme sounds. Red Rot are setting a very high bar for themselves with this debut release and aiming to turn the extreme scene on its head. Few will argue that they haven’t succeeded with Mal de Vivre.

Red Rot – Mal de Vivre Full Track Listing:

1. Ashes
2. Undeceased
3. Near Disaster
4. Everlasting Creature
5. After the Funeral
6. Alpha Predator
7. Greatest Failure
8. Behind the Secret
9. Conversation with the Demon
10. Dualism
11. Emotional Neglect
12. Gruesome Memento
13. Dishonourably Discharged
14. Maelstrom
15. Dysmorphia
16. Under Attack
17. Peregrin

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