After four years of studio silence, Kenoshan cavemen Jungle Rot emerge from the bush with twelfth platter, Cruel Face of War. For the uninitiated, Jungle Rot plays groovy death metal that’s hostile, bludgeoning, and never dares to overthink anything. Their output has been more reliable than our coverage, and reviewing every other album since 2011’s Kill on Command, each has earned a ‘Mixed’ rating. Interestingly, the two albums we missed reviewing, Terror Regime and Jungle Rot, are the best of that group, particularly their self-titled effort. Now faced with our first consecutive Jungle Rot evaluation, can Cruel Face of War break the mold, or does it run through the Jungle on cruise control?
‘Consistency is key’ perseveres as a pillar of advice I mete out and live by,1 and this lesson sticks with Jungle Rot like flies on a decomposing carcass. After three decades of mouth-breathing death jams, the band still delivers freshly forged OSDM every two to four years that reeks of Obituary and Bolt Thrower. While the hardcore and deathcore vestiges have diminished,2 trace amounts of Hatebreed and Slaughter to Prevail lurk within Jungle Rot’s fetid funk, especially Dave Matrise’s vocals. To be fair, any fluctuations in their sound become conversations of degrees, and since Fueled by Hate dropped in 2004, Jungle Rot has been lodged in a groove so deep they haven’t pulled out from it yet.
Cruel Face Of War by Jungle Rot
Jungle Rot sounds best when they inject a bit of melody into their formula, and those crumbs unerringly serve as the best morsels on Cruel Face of War. Maybe that’s because only those moments break up the monotony of an otherwise wearisome chuggathon, where an unvarying landscape of riffs and grooves blur together into an indistinct sea of homogenous death metal. For instance, the riffs on “When the Elders Rise” and “Rot Riffs” carry just enough character to help differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack, but otherwise, I can’t distinguish between most others without playing them back-to-back. To Jungle Rot’s credit, they possess a sound uniquely their own. But like a painter who only uses a single color, they lock themselves into a self-imposed prison of uniformity that undercuts any notion of tension or contrast.
Despite the detractors, Jungle Rot’s adherence to convention pays dividends as well. Pit-ready grooves and stank-inducing verses make great fodder for good ol’ fashioned head-banging, and while the simplicity limits Cruel Face of War’s upside, it also ensures a stable foundation to build upon. Regarding pacing, Jungle Rot plays with two speeds: a menacing, mid-paced skulk and a faster, more predatory trot. Though they never commit to woebegone plods or balls-out blitzes, there’s just enough variety to keep things engaging without moving too far away from Jungle Rot’s established sonic ideal. Additionally, Cruel Face of War merits praise for the efficient yet expressive solos, particularly on “Cruel Face of War” and “Horrors Vile,” with Geoff Bub and David Matrise credited for guitars.3 Bassist James Genenz rumbles and groans alongside, supplying a meaty dimension to Cruel Face of War, and drummer Spenser Syphers pounds and pummels as needed. Dan “The Man” Swanö even handles mixing and mastering, granting the immediate boost he bestows to nearly everything he touches.
Cruel Face of War never outright errs, yet Jungle Rot proves so reticent to stray from the path oft-traveled that I wonder why they recorded new material. Jungle Rot felt like a promising step forward, infusing wicked melodies into the band’s brutish brand of death metal. Since then, Jungle Rot seems content to churn out mildly different flavors of the same core recipe with rapidly diminishing returns. After thirty years of staying the course, I’m not hopeful that Jungle Rot will venture into unfamiliar territory, but without stepping outside their comfort zone, I don’t foresee them bursting free from their Jungle Rut.
Rating: Disappointing
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 224 kbps mp3
Label: Unique Leader Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: May 15th, 20264
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