Left To Rot
Breath Of The Tomb
Independent
Released 10/06/2023
8.5/10
Hailing from Austin Texas, LEFT TO ROT are a three piece Death Metal band band founded by vocalist Jason Dahlke and drummer Justin Olejnik in 2021 with a vision to push musical boundaries after being inspired by the likes of ENTOMBED, DEATH, GRAVE and BLOODBATH.
This EP is a follow up to their debut 4 song EP "LEFT TO ROT".
This is my introduction to this 3 piece death metal trio and I must say I like what I am hearing here. The EP is 5 songs long (4 if you discount the intro). The Intro (simply called Intro) is a nice build up to the sound of a tomb being opened before the musical assault begins with the listener being aurally assaulted by the riffs of Breath Of The Tomb. The vocals are thought out and not one dimensional making the songs breathe more and adding to the riffs, open chords and guitar lines producing a nice Entombed / Obituary style of groove and heaviness.
This feel continues into The Hidden One, which, in my opinion is the best track on this EP; again with a great Old School feel about it. I like the vocalist Jason Dahlia a lot from the way he uses his different styles to bring the song to life and giving the listener something to hold their attention instead of just barraging the music with a constant guttural onslaught. There's a great melodic guitar solo in here to no reliance on whammy bars and shredding (nothing wrong with either of those techniques).
Come to Me continues the EP with a great opening riff and more varied use of the vocals sitting perfectly within the song. You can hear the PETROV / SCHULDINER influences in not only the vocals but the riffing throughout this EP. LEFT TO ROT still have enough in their creative talents to add something of their own in the music. It's a nice mix of Old School Death Metal with a touch of the new to give to the listener to digest.
The EP closer ALREADY DEAD beats it's way into your ears with a bruising intro that bleeds out at pace into a great riff again. On this song a touch (a small touch) of Mr CORPSEGRINDER can be heard in the vocal delivery. There is a great Bass break before a nasty breakdown bludgeons your ears. A great ending to this EP.
I just hope they are planning a full length release as LEFT TO ROT have a solid future ahead of them based on this. If you like Entombed, Obituary, Death and the slower Cannibal Corpse this is a band you must check out.
Meathook Mike, HMS