Self-Released - 2016
8.5/10
Despite having about a decade's worth of experience and two full-length records under their belt, it wasn't those that brought the Romanian death metal outfit Rotheads to my attention. Due to an upcoming rerelease via Memento Mori, the first demo was actually what sold me. Titled Unfazed By Death, this first strike is indeed quite deadly, as it lays down their shtick in a very competent way with all the facets I love about the uglier side of the genre. Frankly, you could have told me this was the debut album and I'd have believed you.
Format aside, Rotheads make's their statement quite swiftly in the confines of only five songs plus an intro and outro. Thus, it's no surprise that this grimy grid is easy enough to strap to for a compelling ride. Deep gutturals pressed firmly into the foundation match drumwork that's almost muffled by the thick atmosphere, while the guitars swim above-ground to carry much of the momentum via muscly rhythms. Brighter leads assist wonderfully when we get a break from the growling essence of the vocals, almost giving the latter a backseat role in everything. It's one of those areas where if the vocals were bad, I could give it a pass due to the strength in the music, but the vocals instead being a nice muddy touch is simply a bonus.
In the half-hour run, Unfazed By Death manages to do a decent amount. Some songs take the speedier rumble to exciting heights that still retain a catchy angle, done wonderfully in "Dark War" and "Burden Of Sin." Others work in slightly longer intervals, utilizing bass and gradual slowdowns like "Stench Of Death," one that reeks of its title but is still masterful with its solo leading to a slower outro. The title track similarly handles that energy well keeping the catchy riffs on par, a word I could surprisingly use to describe most of this. The only exception may be "Warding Blood" with its longer stretch of intricacy, sinking deeper into the muck at the expense of accessibility, but really, we get far more of the latter than one would expect with this style of death metal.
Regardless, the Bucharest quartet have managed to not only come out hard with such a firm grip and interesting ideas, but they all fit beautifully into the confines of this short and filthy demo. One of my favorite things is when a band can pull off the uglier aura without dropping too deep into "doom/death" territory or overdoing the gore factor, both of which have been steered clear enough. No shade towards the full-lengths, but at the expense of sounding like one of those guys, the demo is my favorite! Fans of Undeath, Phobophilic, and Ghoulgotha should appreciate this.
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