Album Review: Cabal – Everything Rots (Nuclear Blast Records)
Cabal are set to deliver their most focused and ferocious album to date with Everything Rots due for release on the 21st of March via Nuclear Blast Records.
Cabal hail from Copenhagen, Denmark and over the years have proven themselves to be one of the most consistently heavy and uncompromising metal bands of this generation. Not a band who like to be categorised, they draw inspiration from everywhere heaviness lies, from death metal, to hardcore, to metalcore to dark electronic music. Anything that helps them deliver their visceral chaos is fair game.
Cabal released their debut full length, Mark of Rot, back in 2018 and made a near instant name for themselves backed up by the excellent Drag Me Down in 2020 and most recently, Magno Interitus in 2022. Meanwhile, they have also toured most of the planet from Europe and North America to Japan and Australia, as well as renowned festivals like, Roskilde Festival, Copenhell, Summer Slaughter, Brutal Assault and many more.
Now, in 2025, Cabal prepare to consolidate their position with the release of Everything Rots. An album that expands on the sounds their fans expect and remains ferocious and intense as well as dark and direct. Cabal take on dark topics here with Everything Rots with lyrics that detail the cyclical nature of depression, addiction and trauma, as they work through and detail deeply scarring life experiences all while delivering a sonic attack on the senses that’s sure to please and surprise any fan of extreme heaviness.
Cabal is Andreas Paarup on vocals, Chris Kreutzfeldt and Arsalan Sakhi on guitars, Malthe Sørensen on bass and Nikolaj Kaae Kirk on drums.
Everything Rots delivers us 13 new tracks. There are 13 in the media kit anyway. Apple Music is currently only showing 12 so it may be that there is a special edition with the additional track, or it may be a bonus track? Anyway things kick off with Become Nothing. The scene is set early on here with a metallic crunch repeating and worming it’s way into our brain. It grows in power and force before the vocals come in displaying all the power and intensity Andreas is renowned for. It’s nasty, angry and brilliant delivering a short burst of fury that brings a snarl to your face while you listen.
Redemption Denied then ups the ante further with a ferocious track of absolute filth. The vocals are delivered at hyper speed. Moving through different tones while the guitars deliver a crunching display and the drums shake you to your core. A little squeal of a guitar breaks up the darkness for a millisecond and the gang vocals chorus works well. Despite it’s insane assault on your senses, there is a catchiness to the verses. It makes you want to bang your head. Makes you need to. Those moments where it drops into rhythm are phenomenal and the electronic touches sit nicely in the track adding another layer of depth. Vicious, yes, but cleverly written and structured too.
The title track is awesome, bringing a slower rhythm but no less aggression. The beat is strong, the vocals insane. Just try not headbanging to this, though really it demands bodies slamming into each other. I love the hardcore echo on the drums and the deathcore vocals, going up and down in tone work wonderfully. The chorus, with backing vocals of the song’s title is heavy as hell. The breakdown which is more like a descent into anarchy bringing all the instruments and electronics in with a ton of echo and distortion drives you just up to the brink of madness. Stunning stuff, this.
No Peace (featuring Jamie of Viscera) brings more maniacal heaviness but with extra emphasis on bass and bassy drums so it’s darker, deeper and a little terrifying. Wait for that early y breakdown to hit with vocals from the pits of hell and electronic backing – it’s nasty. The guest vocals add a glorious touch of more melodic vocals which really elevate the track to insane standards. Around that, what can I say. It’s heavy, it’s clever, it transitions constantly through different beats, tones, styles and breakdowns in remarkable fashion.
Hellhounds blends intense metallic hardcore with a larger chunk of electronic music really well. Vocals spit fire and I really must point out who wicked the drums are across Everything Rots. This is another shorter track but Cabal make sure they use every second of time available to them delivering a song that flows really well, hitting hard but also dropping a bit more melody in with a wicked guitar led section where the vocals raise in tone, the drums raise in speed and the guitars blaze.
Still Cursed, which features Aaron of ten56 dives into the struggle of dealing with depression and feeling eternally cursed. That message does come through in the songs waves of intensity. The electronic edge adding a little bit of a hopeless atmosphere while the riffs, drums and dual vocalists batter us. The message rammed home impressively with it’s extended breakdown that threatens to open up the gates of hell with it’s ferocity and despair.
Unveiled which features Matthi of Nasty delivers yet another banger. The guest vocals adding a different touch to the song and allowing for some scarily gorgeous hardcore/deathcore harmonisations. Speed changes keep you mind alert while the riffs, and drums impress again. It’s heavy. Really heavy, really angry and full of fire and passion. Yet, it’s superbly catchy still and I find myself just being utterly blown away by what Cabal have created here.
Forever Marked and End Times are up next. The former delivering a crunchy and catchy beat laden beast of a track with another immense vocal performance. The latter, utilising electronic backing to great effect. It’s used a lot across the album but subtly whereas occasionally on songs, like End Times, it steps forward a bit. The anger here is palpable and you feel the emotion the band are delivering in the air around you in a song that is of course heavy, but also delivers an insane amount of catchiness.
Brutal intensity but still rhythmic and catchy is a tough balance that Cabal have absolutely mastered here on Everything Rots and and another fine example of that is the song Snake Tongues. I am listening to this right now, in an office with people who do not like metal. I can see them currently looking simultaneously terrified, but tapping their hands and feet along with the song. That’s amazing. Making sure the album stays fresh, Cabal deliver an electronic breakdown that freshens everything up before the malevolence comes back in a display power.
I really don’t want Everything Rots to end but we are approaching it. First, we have another guest, Joel of Aviana, featuring on the song Stuck. Stylistically you know what to expect right? It’s heavy, intense, angry and emotionally charged. The combination of electronic music with the guitars and drums is cool. There is catchiness at points, and the additional vocals adds a bit of a melodic tinge to the chorus. Wait for that breakdown though – god damn! Our penultimate track is Beneath Blackened Skies (featuring Alan of Distant) which delivers another powerful blast of ferocity and emotional intensity in a song that takes no prisoners, with a repeated title, consistently heavy riffs and drums throughout. It just hits hard from the start, gripping you by the throat and refusing to release. Is that the end of the album? If so, it’s a strong closer.
There is a 13th track, which may be a bonus track, called Sort Sommer and features Fabrak. I think it is a bonus song because it doesn’t really fit the album. Fabrak deliver rap verses and while the music of Cabal is there, and the heavy vocals come in and elevate the track to the realms of Cabal, a lot of the rest of the song is like a rapper over Cabal beats. They can rap, it’s a good song. It just doesn’t naturally fit the rest of the album.
Seeing as all online streamers are showing 12 tracks at the moment, I’ll summarise based on that. What Cabal have delivered here is one of the best albums you will hear in 2025. An album that is brutally heavy, full of fire, passion and intensity. It flows, it is exciting and makes good use of a lot of different talented guest artists to freshen up styles and songs as the album progresses. The way they have captured the emotional anguish and despair in their songs is admirable. You feel the air thicken as you listen, but you don’t feel sad. It is cathartic almost, like Cabal are helping you release your darkness with them. Weight releases itself from your shoulders and while you know around you, Everything Rots, you feel like maybe you can stand and face it.
Preorder/Pre-save Everything Rots, from Cabal, here.
Tracklist:
1. Become Nothing
2. Redemption Denied
3. Everything Rots
4. No Peace ft. Jamie of Viscera
5. Hellhounds
6. Still Cursed ft. Aaron of Ten 56
7. Unveiled ft. Matthi of Nasty
8. Forever Marked
9. End Times
10. Snake Tongues
11. Stuck ft. Joel of Aviana
12. Beneath Blackenede Skies ft. Alan of Distant
*13. Sort Sommer Ft. Fabräk
Cabal Links
Website – Instagram – Spotify – Facebook
Author
Cabal - Everything Rots (Nuclear Blast Records)
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The Final Score - 10/10
10/10
