About three years ago, three men from Seattle decided to start a band and named it Iron Rot. No, this isn’t grindcore or anything of the sort, but solid Black Metal.
With the Desiccation / Desolation / Retribution EP, they have now reached their second release, following their debut EP, Cries of the Canyon, from 2023.
Where Cries of the Canyon still sounded like a rehearsal room recording captured with a My First Sony cassette recorder, the new EP is a different story. It has a decent production, though it falters here and there—but that doesn’t spoil the fun, as this is Black Metal, after all.
The opener, Consumed by the Idol of Vengeance, kicks things off right away with thick, thrashy Black Metal. It’s hard to pinpoint a direct comparison, but it sounds great.
The following track, Retribution Against Those Endless Gluttony, reveals some of the weaker production, making it sound a bit messier. The guitar riff vaguely resembles an old Emperor classic.
Satanic Ritual of Blistering Winds was released as a single in 2024. It is a solid, fast-paced Black Metal track with a Scandinavian sound, delivering even more fury than the first two songs.
The second half of the EP personally intrigues me a bit more than the first two tracks. They sound heavier and hit you in the face more than the beginning of the EP.
With this new EP, Iron Rot manages to leave a decent impression. We’ll see what these three men from Seattle come up with in the future.
75/100