Yea, that’s the stuff!
20 Buck Spin is on quite a roll (spin?) this year with its stream of excellent death metal releases. And Seattle’s Cerebral Rot stands ready to release possibly the best of the bunch this year with Odius Descent Into Decay. The glut of new-OSDM can be a little suffocating lately, everyday bringing yet another band trying to rewrite Like an Everflowing Stream. But Cerebral Rot knows how to do OSDM right in 2019: take a handful of key bands as inspiration, hone your songwriting to focus on hooks and atmosphere, and give the music something that resonates with listeners at a deeper level.
Cerebral Rot does all three of these things brilliantly. They take the cavernous sound of Incantation and blend in the dirt, grime and filth of bands like Convulse and Autopsy. And here’s one thing they totally nail: the primitive drum sound. Don’t take that the wrong way, the playing is tight, precise and hits right where it needs to. But it’s not overproduced, so it actually sounds like a drumset, instead of like someone slamming pens against a table! Imagine that! And drummer Drew O’Bryant wisely avoids the overuse of blastbeats, instead opting for brutal simplicity. This gives the band an intoxicating mix of heaviness and catchiness that rewards repeat listens.
So with that in mind, you should reward Cerebral Rot with repeat listens of “Repulsive Infestation Of Cadaver” and look out for the the full album on August 16. If you want to know more about the band, check out the latest issue of Decibel, which contains a feature about the band and a full review of Odius Descent Into Decay.
