Album Review: Earth Rot – Renascentia (Self-Released)

The second full length album from Australia’s Earth Rot is called Renascentia & was released on March 6th 2017. The album is a vicious blend of black & death metal. 

It takes a moment to properly digest just what’s happening on opening song Terraform. A sudden wall of guitars & bile-inducing vocals is what greets you as soon as you hit play. However when things do start to make sense it’s incredibly exciting stuff built around some really solid death metal riffs.

It’s a filthy sounding record that has both feet firmly planted in the death metal sub-genre. For 36 minutes the band work their asses off to ensure you enjoy the pummelling. It’s never really a question worth asking though because, trust me, you will enjoy every second of it.

Consistency is a key part of this albums appeal. Experimenting isn’t something that you’d expect to hear on Renascentia. A constant brutal pace & hard-hitting riff-style is all you need to hear.

Waves of the Blackest Mire, Anachronous Oath & Panoptic Terror finish up the first half of the album with thunderous beats & a mission to keep you listening.

The mid-point song, The Bones that Lay Beneath the Earth is an intermission of sorts. A short soft melody far removed from the rest of the album. The inclusion of Jørgen Munkeby from Shining playing a saxophone is a bit odd. It’s well played & flows perfectly into a heavier sound with the following track, Bestial Shadow Forest. However if sax isn’t something you normally enjoy you’re unlikely to take much away from the brief introduction of it.

The rest of the album continues as expected, slamming death metal that rarely holds back. Earth Rot do a great job of making each song sound individual, there is no blending of music here. Something that can be a bit of a problem in death metal.

Musically there really isn’t much to fault here. It’s not original sounding music but Earth Rot are way better at this then a lot of their peers. Special mention has to be given to both the vocals & drumming which are absolutely on fire throughout.

The album closes with the super-fast paced Unfurled, The Cover of Darkness. A really strong finish that gives ripping your ears apart, just one last try. One of the best death metal releases of the year.

Renascentia Full Track Listing:

1. Terraform
2. The Ancient Fire
3. Waves of the Blackest Mire
4. Anachronous Oath
5. Panoptic Terror
6. The Bones That Lay Beneath the Earth
7. Bestial Shadow Forest
8. Funeral Pyre
9. Condemned to the Grave
10. Unfurled, the Cover of Darkness

Renascentia is out now & can be picked up by Bandcamp. You can check the band out over on Facebook & Twitter. You can also check out some of their music over on YouTube.