Rotten music for rotten people?! It’s not like that but it’s pretty dark, nasty and raw. I’m talking of the latest full-length from a death metal trio going under the moniker of Rotpit. The band is formed by Jonny Pettersson & Ralf Hauber in 2021 to create dark, nasty and raw death metal. That’s exactly what we can hear on their sophomore full-length entitled Long Live the Rot. It consists of 10 tracks (playing time 35 minutes) in an old-school rotten death metal sound. It’s been released via ‘War Anthem Records’ a couple of months ago. Current line-up of the band is comprised of; Ralf Hauber (vocals), Jonny Pettersson (guitars/bass) and Erik Barthold (drums), where the members of the band are residing in Sweden and Germany.

Long Live the Rot is this international/European combo’s second full-length where they managed to create an album that is even filthier than the 2023 debut Let There Be Rot. First thing one notice is their commitment to all things rotten firmly in place as five of the ten tracks contain ‘rot’ in the title. Another thing noteworthy is the sound, which has become even more filthy, crushing, but also fun, compared to its predecessor. Long Live The Rot is noticeably more structured and thought out, there’s way more overall quality presented here.

Track listing;

01. Sewer Rot
02. Massive Maggot Swarm
03. Long Live The Rot
04. Eat Or Be Eaten
05. The Triumph Of Rot
06. Tunnel Rat
07. Dirt Dwellers
08. Funeral Mock
09. Rotfreak
10. OutRot

What Rotpit do well on here is creating hooky catchy death that is impossible not to be drawn in by. Thus one can hear numerous catchy hooks, great growls and grunts, double-bass rumbling, bastardized & hellish drums, and overall well structured songs. My favourite tracks would be; “Massive Maggot Swarm” because this tune has a variety of tempo shifts, some heavy and galloping moments, and some slow back down parts. Another of my favourites is “The Triumph Of Rot”. This song starts with pounding headbang worthy heaviness creating some killer catchy riffs and some wild effects-laden solos. The drums are pounding and organic, while the bass is galloping creating some cool lines and underlying high-quality melodies. A well-deserved shout out to Jonny Pettersson for his production job which sounds just perfect for this type of a record. The album cover is a great old-school drawing, reflective of the sound you can hear on this 10-tracker record.

Long Live the Rot is not for small kids, but if you’re older guy as myself and/or if you worship the likes of Autopsy, Entombed, Undergang, Hemorrhoid, Grave, Bolt Thrower, Ossuary and similar acts, then go check this beast out and blast your ears to bits.

For more information on this deadly trio and their discography go to https://rotpitofficial.bandcamp.com/