Ethereal Rot - Ethereal Rot

Ethereal Rot is an extreme metal band from Portland, Maine who formed in 2019.  This self-titled album is their full-length debut; they have also released two EPs.  Metallum describes their genre as ‘blackened technical death metal.”  That’s a mouthful and a lot to digest but honestly, it is a pretty accurate description. 

I might even say it is progressive, as well.  The dynamics are insane, not only across the album as a whole but also within each individual song.   From one moment to the next, the band keeps you guessing as to what direction the next note might lead to.  With that being said, 6-song, 40-minute runtime flows very smoothly especially when considering how many details the band crams into every little nook and cranny. 

There isn’t one second wasted and every moment has a purpose.  To that point, it is an adventurous album with a ton of energy but, at the same time, it is highly focused.  No matter what the songs may bring, the band’s foundation remains firmly planted in rather brutal form of death metal.  

Music with such technical/prog aspects needs decent production because the devil is in the details. Fortunately, the band recognizes this too because the album sounds absolutely amazing.  The mix is spot on—it may be a busy album, but nothing sounds cluttered or confusing. All six songs are bangers, too.  I want to go over three in particular because I feel they really represent what the album is all about.   

“That Which Dwells,” has an immediate beginning, a deep growl, penetrating drums and precise guitars all exploding at once.  Within seconds, the band settles into a groove that lets the vocalist show off his death growls and his blackened screams.  It’s very chaotic but the rhythm section is too tight to let it go off the rails.  The bass is great too and doesn’t get buried under the guitars and has a lot to say in its own right.   From the first note to the late, this is a freight train from hell that showcases just how uncompromising this album can be. 

“Festum Terrae,” pulls back on the tempo slightly, at least in the beginning, and the bass shows its prowess in a big way.  The riffs are a bit dissonant, like Immolation and solos pepper the song like streaks of lighting in the sky.  The latter half of the song is even more insane and is an exercise in dexterity and the ability to walk a tightrope of technical procession while still bringing rampaging bloodthirsty death metal to the forefront.  I really like how the lead guitars and vocals complement each other in the later half, leading to some vicious moments that ride on top of a crest of bloodied tidal waves. 

The final song, “Into the Naught,” is my favorite on the album.  At nearly 9 minutes in length, the band gets ample time to really show what they can do.  The beginning is caustic, the bass stretching the boundaries of the band’s sound, challenging the guitars to offer up a sizable performance.  The tone of the riffs is stark, a rumble of meaty decay that pushes it all forward.  The solo around the halfway point is short but sweet–technical yet spacey at the same time.  Just before the six minute mark, the song slows—the band is just as deadly in this lower tone as they are ripping flesh at a frenzied rate.  The riffs here sink deep, burrowing their way in with their giant hooks.  

Ethereal Rot’s self-titled full-length debut is a prime example how technical music can still be interesting and violent—while using unique structures to expand what’s capable but underneath it all having the pulse of a thousand raging hammers. 

Rating: Great