ALBUM REVIEW: Rot – Believe In Nothing
There are several different words or phrases that could sum up BELIEVE IN NOTHING and their debut album Rot, but none fit as well as the title of the record’s opening song, which is called Complete Desolation. That all encompassing title fits perfectly as a colossal riff starts the song off and sets the tone for the album that revels in a form of nihilism but with a cleansing vibe alongside it, and is as real as it comes interns of pure anger and emotional resonance.
The caustic What Would You Do? follows, with BELIEVE IN NOTHING linking up with Jack Packham and BLACKGROOVE for a dizzying descent into an appropriate noise laden frenzy, complete with some very heavy lyrics that deal with mental health and the tense atmosphere that goes along with it. That tense atmosphere doesn’t let up at all and the likes of Fist Full Of Worms (with a massive, bouncy riff at the centre of things) and the brutality and brilliantly honest Gut (which crawls through with a chaotic ferocity all through its duration, and once again is centred by a massive groove) are testament to the nature of Rot.
The dense Meth is the sonic equivalent of being on tenterhooks with the anxious vibe it brings out while the pummelling Boiling Stone lays waste to all in its path with its noise rock assault, and shows more facets of the sound of BELIEVE IN NOTHING, and shows that there is much to explore on here. The chilling Deserts Are Glass features another collaboration, this time with MRS FRIGHTHOUSE and the results are nothing but detestation with MRS FRIGHTHOUSE adding some haunting vocals to the all-out intensity and this definitely is a pairing that there should be more of.
Rot concludes with the pounding The Children Are Cattle and then the closing menace and bleakness of the album’s title track, a track that ends things on a superbly desolate high, complete with a foreboding and throbbing electronic flourish that could easily soundtrack a cinematic horror or thriller perfectly. There is a cathartic vibe flowing through the entirety of Rot and shows BELIEVE IN NOTHING baring their souls from start to finish and although it is quite an anguished listen, it feels cleansing to listen to and you can undoubtedly hear the band baring their souls intensely on Rot. For their debut statement, Rot is undeniably impressive and while the bar has been set high on this record, BELIEVE IN NOTHING certainly have the passion to continue in this vein. Rot is a fantastic album that will grip you from the very start to the bitter end, in the most all encompassing way.
Rating: 8/10
Rot is out now via Church Road Records.
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