EP REVIEW: Mass Extinction – Rotten Sound

Finland’s masters of grind ROTTEN SOUND return with a vengeance on their latest EP Mass Extinction and this release is actually their whopping 11th EP. What is even more impressive if that if you go all the way back thirty years to their first ever EP, Psychotic Veterinarian, you will find that the band still display the same ferocity they did all the way back then.

Although, there have been many lineup changes in the ROTTEN SOUND ranks, and in that amount of time, that is not an uncommon thing, (vocalist Keijo Niinimaa and guitarist Mika Aalto are the two members who have been in the band from their inception to now) and ROTTEN SOUND’s intense approach to grind has not diminished one bit, in fact, the band sound even more focussed three decades on, as they prove on Mass Extinction.

From the immediate blast of opening track Recycle onwards, ROTTEN SOUND go nothing other than full pelt and the eight songs in nine minutes that feature on Mass Extinction are sonic explosions in gloriously grinding fashion, and the fact that it is over so quickly will allow you to play again and again and again in quick succession, and it really is as addictive as that.

Despite its relative brevity, there is still a lot to unpack on the EP, and songs like Brave New World and Mass Extinction’s title track show how ROTTEN SOUND have stayed at the top of the grind tree for so long, these are songs that are razor sharp in terms of execution and delivered with focus and experience and the power of formidable vocalist Niinimaa is a key part of this, as he leads the charge in commanding fashion throughout, alongside the straight for the jugular riffs and grooves.

Mass Extinction is another welcome and essential lesson in grind from ROTTEN SOUND and a reminder of the bands power, as strong now as it has always been, as well as being a reminder that a ROTTEN SOUND full length album is long overdue. For now though, there is so much to enjoy on this EP. Again, and again, and again.

Rating: 8/10

Mass Extinction is out now via Season Of Mist.

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