Noose Rot - The Creeping Unknown
Noose Rot are a blend of death and doom metal straight out of Minnesota that perform music in the raw late 80s/ early 90s style. Fans of the buzz saw guitar sound that enjoy old school groups like Bloodbath mixed with the slower pace of very early Paradise Lost minus the gloomy tones will instantly find their music quite appealing. They only have one EP under their belt so far- "The Creeping Unknown"- but it showcases enough songs to let listeners know the scope of Noose Rot’s music. It seems pretty basic due to the grim atmosphere of the production value but there is enough to not make one want to shut things off after the first track. The music is not pretty; it is raw and ugly yet not as ear-destructive as grindcore, so it won’t blow people away in the first 30 seconds (in a bad way).
Opening with 'Mass Grave Interment' starts the album very slow and moody with the longer drawn out guitar passages that definitely draw on the doom elements. Things start to pick up in more of a mid paced guitar chug, entombed bass, and with snarled/growled vocals that have a twisted echo to them while the drums plod along. Almost like the music was recorded inside a mausoleum with the reverb. A very basic formula but it serves its purpose. There are no keyboards, not much in the way of guitar solos, no harsh/ clean vocal composures. Just raw, mid paced metal that would make fans of Incantation proud. Other tracks like 'Worship The Crypt' speed things up a bit in the rhythm department but at the same time while being louder and more ferocious, the band sacrifices a bit in the vocal department by obscuring them a bit. This style is a bit more death metal than doomy but also adds in a bit of life to the music whereas the slower tracks tend to just plod on.
The only downside to the EP is that with the muddled production sometimes the music can be a bit one sided. While the band definitely captures the raw tones of their music, sometimes the instruments just get repetitive at times such as the drumming which sounds like hammering nails on the title track while the guitars whine away. It isn’t until the closing 'Bound In A Dark House'- their ultimate horror track- where Noose Rot finds their balance between death and doom. Things slow down, speed up, slow down, and there is even a guitar solo with a bit of melody that breaks the fog of buzzsaw noise. This gives a bit more depth to the group’s work and may re-capture the attention of the fans of more seasoned doom groups out there. Ultimately, Noose Rot will need to flesh their sound out more to keep them from fading into the murk of ‘just another grim death metal band with some doom elements’ but they have a nice start with "The Creeping Unknown".
3 / 5 STARS
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Opening with 'Mass Grave Interment' starts the album very slow and moody with the longer drawn out guitar passages that definitely draw on the doom elements. Things start to pick up in more of a mid paced guitar chug, entombed bass, and with snarled/growled vocals that have a twisted echo to them while the drums plod along. Almost like the music was recorded inside a mausoleum with the reverb. A very basic formula but it serves its purpose. There are no keyboards, not much in the way of guitar solos, no harsh/ clean vocal composures. Just raw, mid paced metal that would make fans of Incantation proud. Other tracks like 'Worship The Crypt' speed things up a bit in the rhythm department but at the same time while being louder and more ferocious, the band sacrifices a bit in the vocal department by obscuring them a bit. This style is a bit more death metal than doomy but also adds in a bit of life to the music whereas the slower tracks tend to just plod on.
The only downside to the EP is that with the muddled production sometimes the music can be a bit one sided. While the band definitely captures the raw tones of their music, sometimes the instruments just get repetitive at times such as the drumming which sounds like hammering nails on the title track while the guitars whine away. It isn’t until the closing 'Bound In A Dark House'- their ultimate horror track- where Noose Rot finds their balance between death and doom. Things slow down, speed up, slow down, and there is even a guitar solo with a bit of melody that breaks the fog of buzzsaw noise. This gives a bit more depth to the group’s work and may re-capture the attention of the fans of more seasoned doom groups out there. Ultimately, Noose Rot will need to flesh their sound out more to keep them from fading into the murk of ‘just another grim death metal band with some doom elements’ but they have a nice start with "The Creeping Unknown".
3 / 5 STARS
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1. A Mass Grave Interment
2. Worship The Crypt
3. The Creeping Unknown
4. Bound In A Dark House
2. Worship The Crypt
3. The Creeping Unknown
4. Bound In A Dark House
