ALBUM REVIEW: Rotting In The Belly Of The Whale – Evil Blizzard

November 1, 2023October 30, 2023 Louis Suffill

Psychedelic chants and hooks make up the basis of EVIL BLIZZARD‘s brand new album Rotting In The Belly Of The Whale. With a flare for the dramatic and a no-rulebook style of songwriting, the band have come up with their most diverse album yet.

The opening track All Pigs With Snouts In The Trough is a subtle track and opens the album on a more sombre note. The guitar part feels a little 80s alternative inspired, with heavy effects and a simplistic approach in its riff. The vocals are heavy and rough. It’s more of a chant than singing and this creates a sort of uneasy feeling. It gets a little heavier around the halfway point as the guitars become a screeching solo and the vocals become distorted furthering the uneasiness.

Bad People follows and this is a heavier track, with distorted guitars and heavy drum parts creating the into. Again, the vocals are more of a chant with more of a soaring feeling at the end of each verse. The guitars build throughout the song to a roar and fall back again to a calmer feel. There are a lot of things going on at once and it seems these guys are really good at layering to create such a heavy texture that still works.

Tiny People sounds more like a traditional punk rock track. From the very beginning, it takes off and doesn’t come back down. The vocals are frantic and high-pitched with a sense of chaotic energy. Unfortunately, this track only lasts just under a minute so it’s more of an interlude but it’s great whilst it lasts. The following track, Clouds Like Ghosts slows things back down again. With a slower drum part and with single notes played on guitar the vocals are sung barely above a whisper. The vocals are also layered with a lower and higher pitched contrast which creates a heavier feel. This seems like the most coherent track yet as much of the rest of the record seems to be focused noise and effects whereas here it’s clear to see there’s more effort put into the songwriting.

Lullaby starts as a psychedelic and almost hypnotic track until about the halfway point where the spell is broken and the guitars and drums come in heavy. Touching on screamo territory, it’s big and theatrical, almost like the last thing a lullaby should be. Similarly, Darkness follows which is pretty light until about the halfway point as everything comes in except this time it feels like everything’s come crashing down. It’s got a dismal and despairing feel to it, and it ends on a much more rock ’n’ roll-filled style than the rest of the track which is of course a lot of fun.

Closing the album is Buried Believers; staying mostly in a minor key, this is a dark track with called-out vocals and mostly heavier instrumentation. It’s got a powerful message but it feels a little bogged down due to overproduction as if there is too much going on. Rotting In The Belly Of The Whale isn’t necessarily a bad album nor is it really that great. Sure, EVIL BLIZZARD fans should be able to get on board with it and it’s not to say the guys aren’t talented, it’s just that this album has a very certain sound that might not appeal to new listeners. A lot of the tracks get very samey throughout and of course that’s their sound but there’s not really any development past that point.

Rating: 5/10