ALBUM REVIEW: Rothadás – Töviskert… A Kísértés Örök Érzete… Lidércharang

Hungarian Death-Doom Metal conjurers Rothadás are back with their second album. After adoring their debut, I am glad to see what will get more sepulchral splendour from this underground entity. Out via Me Saco Un Ojo Records and Pulverised Records on March 21st.

An ossuary of sullen riffs and cavernous drums begins our atmospheric journey with sepulchral splendour. Each graven note rings out into the abyss alongside the dragging, guttural vocals. Immediately the first thing I notice is the gargantuan production, allowing each putrescent sound to be heard clearly while still retaining the dark and mysterious feeling of the music. Equally the atmospheric strengths are just as potent as before. But this isn’t just some slow, repetitive drudge-fest. There are plenty of blasting, visceral and aggressive moments to contrast the doomy ones gloriously. The band performs smoothly with transitions that make sense as we continue to hear their full range of savage ideas. Each riff has a simplicity but when put in the context of their respective songs makes an interesting tapestry of primitively putrid Death Metal that is magnificent to behold. Rothadás are off to a strong start. Having loved their debut LP and the demo that came before it, the bar is set high but I have no doubt the duo will succeed.

Although the band have all of these funereal moments and plenty of full-bore ferocity too, there is also an ability to cave in skulls with simple but effective stomping riffs that hook your neck fibres until your head is banging furiously. While remaining within the palette of old school Death Metal, Rothadás keep things changing up enough to never feel lazy or dull the impact of their hammering heaviness. Contorting through the whole album, these 45 minutes pass in a sea of viscera as we are held in an enchanting domain of skeletal creepiness. The band have upheld their discography of pure brilliance with a second record that is just as engaging and intense as the first. While a little more polished, they have not lost their edge or underground feeling along the way when crafting this titan of terror. It’s hard to pick a stand out song from the six as all of them flow together seamlessly to conjure a grander, far more intricate experience. Each sinuous song is a triumph so just listen to them all!

A monolith of tremendous doomy Death Metal that springs forth from an archaic tomb and takes you on a splendid journey of stupefying extremity. Each moment is a lingering horror that towers of you like a behemoth before transitioning into a noxious fume only to re-emerge as an altogether new abomination. The band continue to hone their songwriting, production and execution and deliver a crushing second album that is as oppressively heavy as it is bewitching.