Eternal Rot – Moribound
Release Date: 24th July 2023
Label: Memento Mori / Godz Ov War
Bandcamp
Genre: Death Metal, Doom, Sludge, Stoner.
FFO: Autopsy, Hooded Menace, Coffins, Disma, Grave, Incantation.
Review By: Rick Farley
Horror drenched sludgy death metal drug through the bogs is the name of the game here. U.K./Poland purveyors of barbaric swamp death, Eternal Rot, crawled from the depths of the murky waters in 2012 to release a crushing demo comprised of two tracks. Like a zombified virus, word of mouth spread like wildfire and the two piece eventually hooked up with Godz Ov War, who spewed out their debut album Cadaverine. The band released their second full length Putridarium while bolstering their lineup with the addition of drummer Radek Pierściński (Meat Spreader, Neuropathia, The Dead Goats) which featured an already putrid formula that was now somehow grossly improved. 2021 brought the band to a spilt with death/doom band Coffins on Behind the Mountain Records and 2023 now brings us the third full length release of musty, grime filled, sludgy death metal. Moribound is being released internationally on Memento Mori in conspiracy with Godz Ov War Productions, respectively.
Moribound kicks off with an instant organ crushing blow from the putrid, powerful stench of Summoned from Moribound Delusion. The sturdy drumbeat kicks it off into a gut churning wall of crunchy riffs. Huge swampiness with swagger, groove like a rotting fleshy bone being swung at your skull. Think Bolt Thrower mixed with Down’s riffy hooks, and a little Black Sabbath influence all mixed up in a grinder and then vomited out. This is good ole knuckle dragging stomp with a gurgling demon on vocals. Peter Mayer handles the guitars and bass, as well as some of the odious vocals. Pawel Karaś handles the absolutely disgusting inhuman vocals, which are nothing short of sounding like a pile of noxious pus mixed with human entrails. Severe throat gurgling, gristle filled, repulsive spewing of words? It’s honestly hard to tell, and I mean that in a good way.
There’s nothing subtle about Eternal Rot’s approach to death metal, stripped down to the bare bones of monstrous hooks and sickening gutturals that are there just to crush the listener beyond physical identification. By the middle of track two, Reflected in Perpetual Waves of Despair, you will feel nauseous, severely bruised, and dizzy. It’s damn near impossible to not headbang yourself to death, there’s so much heavy groove beating you down. Walls and walls of decaying guitars permeate your lungs, while pulsing bass is continuously gut punching you until your innards are obliterated. Total body devastation.
Coming in at six songs, thirty-five minutes, the foul putridity of Moribound doesn’t overstay its welcome. The records strength though is also a bit of its weakness, the focus here is repulsive brutality, which can end up being a little one note by the middle of the album. It’s heavy as fuck the whole way through with indecipherable, undead demon noises, which in itself is pretty damn awesome, but it’s also the repetitiveness that will be a turn-off for some listeners. I can definitely see Eternal Rot with a particular audience that love this, with little to no room for “on the fence” listeners. Me personally, I can see the value of this, but I doubt I return to it too much unless I’m being attacked by swamp zombies and need a killing soundtrack. Still a groovy listen for the knuckledraggers. 
(3 / 5)
