Jungle Rot - Terror Regime (2013)

of Origin: United States ---
--- Active Years: 1994-present ---
--- Record Label: Victory Records ---
--- Genres: Death Metal, Old School Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal ---
--- Similar Artists: Torture Killer, Malevolent Creation, Grave, Vomitory, Fleshcrawl, Monstrosity ---
--- Lyrical Themes: War, Torture, Death, Killing ---
--- Influences: Slayer, Sodom, Obituar, Possessed, Destruction ---

Shots’ firing overhead, out of breath, thankful to be alive, an exhausted, courageous soldier takes cover in a nearby trench. Overcome with tragedy, the cadet looks down to carefully remove his worn down combat boots to discover his feet numb and blue, knocking him back with an overwhelming smell of decay and gangrene. This phenomenon is known as “jungle rot”. With a little imagination, visualize this horrifyingly grotesque predicament as it would be in heavy metal form - teeming with despair, brutality, darkness and volatility. The sinister picture you have just painted comes to life in four-piece death metal act JUNGLE ROT, who has been triumphantly destroying the metal scene since 1994.

Hailing from Kenosha, Wisconsin, JUNGLE ROT has steadily collected fans by the thousands since their 1995 demo release "Skin The Living". Critics, blown away by their chillingly explosive live shows, rewarded the band with stellar reviews and were offered their first record deal with Pulverizer Records. Through new representation, the men released their first full-length project, "Slaughter The Weak" (1998) and were greeted by a tremendous amount of support from both the metal community and critics everywhere. Responding to a flood of new fans, the band rearranged their lineup, adapted their sound, produced new material, and began to dominate the Midwest tour circuit.

Now impossible to ignore, JUNGLE ROT inked a contract with Olympic Records in 2001, impressing the metal world with their slight hints of favorites, SLAYER and SODOM. A collection of their new material came to life in their 2001 release, "Dead And Buried", leaving fans in awe with flawless, bass-heavy production and calculated, intricate riffing. Stunned by their aggressive melodies, fans demanded a headlining tour, which came to fruition in 2008, alongside WARMASTER, DOWNSWITCH, and WALKING CORPSE.

Fresh off of their wildly successful European tour, with thousands of new supports to boot, JUNGLE ROT signed a deal with Napalm Records in 2009. Having more than a decade of experience on their side, the band released "What Horrors Await" later that year, forcing metal heads to their knees, saluting their mastery of guitar distortion and growls were seemingly delivered from the deepest pits of Hell. Summoning their primal, innermost hatred, "What Horrors Await" brought hit after heavy hit, knocking down naysayers with one swift kick to the gonads. With fire in their eyes, JUNGLE ROT toured relentlessly across the world, proving the quality of their production matched their live performance, solidifying their spot as major players in the death metal scene.

Victory Records, intrigued by JUNGLE ROT’s brand of knuckle-dragging, Neanderthal death metal, welcomed the band to their roster in April 2011. Three short months later, the guys released "Kill On Command", some of their heaviest material to date. Throwing down the gauntlet, they integrated slow stomp melodies into their speed-thrash style, bringing the band back to their death metal roots. Comprised of front-man Dave Matrise, drummer Jesse Beahler, bassist James Genenz and Geoff Bub, guitarist and backing vocalist, JUNGLE ROT was back with vengeance to “take back the scene we started” Matrise contends. Their years of hard work landed them on tours with many death metal legends such as DEICIDE, ENTOMBED, SIX FEET UNDER, VADAR, GOATWHORE, CATTLE DECAPITATION and more.

Inspired and motivated by their fans’ continued support JUNGLE ROT will release their next album in early 2013. Ready to go to war, the band promises to vanquish the nonbelievers, showering them with waves of barbaric chanting and savagely powerful beats, until they raise their white flags of defeat. JUNGLE ROT will not be ignored. JUNGLE ROT will not be vanquished. JUNGLE ROT will not compromise. With no end in sight, it is clear that this case of JUNGLE ROT will continue to attack and decay anything and everything in its path. Ye have been warned; the era of muted metal will meet its end at the hands of JUNGLE ROT.





Quote:
Listening to Wisconsin’s Jungle Rot is something akin to watching a five man gang in a street fight; it’s brutal, uncompromising and there’s a good chance that there will be broken bones. Get ready for a fist fight, just don’t expect to win.

My introduction to Jungle Rot’s blend of death, thrash and hardcore came a couple of years ago, through filmmaker Ryan Nicholson no less, when I picked up a copy of their 2011 album, Kill on Command. Having been impressed with that slab of metal I will admit to being excited when I heard they had a new album on the way; the album of which I am now reviewing.

The first thing I noticed about Terror Regime is that the production is a lot better; the music is still a kick in the teeth, but the sound is clearer without losing any of the music’s intensity. Terror Regime opens with a bang, with Voice your Disgust, before blasting into the ferocious title track; this is music that will make you want to bang your damned head. This is death metal that you can sing along too, and you won’t need an interpreter to understand the lyrics. But don’t be mistaken, this ain’t no walk in the park. Thunderous drums underline the monster riffs and cracking lead work.


By the time I am Hatred and Scorn have finished with you, you’ll either be beaten or begging for more. This really is a fine album, one that is topped off with some venomous lyrics, which are spat out by Dave Matrise. Musically this is an unholy matrimony of Hatebreed, Death and the primal thrash of Sodom, and that is no bad thing at all.

Kill on Command impressed me; Terror Regime has made me a believer. There is a conviction behind the music here that you don’t always hear on an album. It’s a heavy as fuck, pissed off beast that will leave you Pronounced Dead; which is a more than fitting name for an album closer, especially one this belligerent.

Jungle Rot do what they do, and they do it very well indeed, and Terror Regime is a more than welcome return for the band. Get in there and prepare to get bloodied up.Dave Matrise -- Vocals, Guitars (1994-present)
James Genenz -- Guitars (2004-2005), Bass (2005-present)
Geoff Bub -- Guitars (2005-present)
Jesse Beahler -- Drums (2010-present)


2013 -- Terror Regime

01. Voice Your Disgust -- 03:02
02. Terror Regime -- 03:55
03. Utter Chaos -- 02:50
04. I Am Hatred -- 03:43
05. Blind Devotion -- 03:21
06. Scorn -- 03:54
07. Rage Through the Wasteland -- 03:16
08. Ruthless Omnipotence -- 03:11
09. I Don't Need Society -- 01:40
10. Carpet Bombing -- 01:13
11. Pronounced Dead -- 04:28
Total time: 34:33