Rothadás - Töviskert... a kísértés örök érzete... lidércharang

Rothadás is a death/doom metal band from Hungary, who formed in 2019. Their latest album, "Töviskert... a kísértés örök érzete... lidércharang,” is their second full-length album; they have also released a demo.

Rothadás plays a very uncompromising style of death/doom! To a degree, it reminds me of Incantation and Asphyx because they too can go from lighting fast to slow and crushing at the drop of a hat. 

But Rothadás sets themselves apart with “Töviskert…” by injecting their songs with a very balanced and subtle use of melody. It’s a bleak, darkened form of it as evident by of the lead guitar around the 3:40 mark of “Urnaszellem... szentek csontpora.” It isn’t anything flashy but it fits into the riffs perfectly and adds much needed atmosphere for their deep sound. Speaking of deep, this album can be quite cavernous like funeral doom.  

Around the 5 minute mark in “Vértükör,” the song slows to a crawl to let the melody sink into a pit of atmospheric despair that truly feels bottomless. Even while the descent happens, the guitars keep chugging away with huge riffs. That’s really the magic of the album—the band has a keen sense of a true melding of both death and doom so even when they are at their most despair ridden, the album still smokes and bellows with the fury of death metal. 

The best example of what the album conveys is the third song, “Sóhajok kapuja,” because it has all the necessary ingredients for death/doom but also checks off all the boxes for the individual style of the album. I like how it begins slow and suffocating, sprawling out naturally as it picks up speed. The faster parts are insane and have some blackened elements to them as well, which is a nice touch for adding in yet another abrasive layer. 

"Tetemek tava... lidércek tánca" is one of my favorites on the album. The uptempo parts are super tight, very sharp and biting. But the energy never drops or slows even as the song snakes through various tempos. From 3:16 to 4:47 is one of the most intense passages on the album. The final minute and a half or so of the song is insanely groovy, always a plus with doom!

Speaking of groove, “Sikoltó füst,” is absolutely drenched in it. The hammering of the drums compliments the guitars nicely, offering a steady driving beat that is surprisingly catchy. Moments of dour melodies hold the song together between the subtle tempo increase that breaks around the 3:20 mark.  

The final song, “Az örök isten Lucifer,” is perhaps the darkest song on the album, a nine and a half minute mini-dirge that showcases the power of doom metal. The air of the song is sulphuric and the vocals push it to a level of extremity that ends the album perfectly. 

Rothadás’ “Töviskert... a kísértés örök érzete... lidércharang,” is a fanastic extreme doom metal album that will appeal to those who don’t even like the genre because it stands by its convictions and pushes them to the extreme. 

Rating: Great