Jungle Rot isn’t done yet.
Four years after their last album, the band comprising Dave Matrise (vocals/guitar), James Genenz (bass, Avernus), Geoff Bub (guitar), and Spenser Syphers (drums) returns with their twelfth album, Cruel Face of War, once again on Unique Leader Records.
The album starts off fairly calmly with an exotic intro where we first hear some percussion, then string sounds and roars, and it’s finally Apocalyptic Dawn that takes over to deliver the band’s first riffs, which have obviously retained their catchy Old School touch. The numerous tempo changes perfectly punctuate the track and its furious vocal parts, which reinforce the already palpable aggression also found on Cruel Face Of War, the title track that benefits from an even more prominent bass sound, making the composition as groovy as can be even when the harmonics add a more dissonant touch. Everything about this track openly invites headbanging, while Maniacal establishes a much heavier atmosphere, slowing down the rhythm section while letting the leads recreate the anxiety of the music video before returning to a more brutal approach on Suffer in Silence. The track is simple yet extremely effective, drawing on its roots to give us something to headbang to with a grimace, adding a touch of technicality in the solo, then the band slows down again on Radicalized delivering heavy, choppy riffing for an even more aggressive yet equally infectious effect. Once again, it’s the harmonics that provide the piercing sounds before leading into Blade Of Betrayal, which picks up the pace once more to wreak havoc both through your speakers and on stage, featuring a great mosh part in the middle, but also a calmer finale to let us catch our breath. We then move on to When The Elders Rise, a track that also rolls along on its own, occasionally shifting gears to keep our attention with its violence, and we’ll note even more pronounced aggressive influences on Horrors Vile, the next composition that features a short intro before hitting at full power, and on which Dave Ingram (Benediction, Echelon, ex-Bolt Thrower, ex-Hail of Bullets…) is credited. The same goes for Legacy Of The Damned, a track that starts off dissonant but soon becomes much more structured, though it quickly gives way to Rot Riffs, which has less than two minutes to make us want to break our necks, even allowing itself a few melodic touches before moving on to Hollow Husk, the final track where the band returns to its devastating groove to deliver one last wave of high-octane violence before closing out the album.
Although its longevity speaks for itself, Jungle Rot has always been an underrated band that delivers truly effective tracks. Cruel Face of War will undoubtedly be one of the Death Metal gems of the year!
90/100