Intestinal – The Rottening (2012)

With a cover that reminds us of Cannibal Corpse’s infamous “Tomb of the Mutilated” or “Gallery of Suicide” uncensored covers, today we have Sweden’s Intestinal and their second full-length “The Rottening”.  Featuring eleven tracks of Swedish Death Metal with a bit of a modern flair, this release is actually far more unconventional that one would expect just from the cover.

Opening with a traditional sample, the music soon start flowing and while the Swedish DM vibe is present, the band tends to start away from the formulaic meaty hooks approach. Instead in “Flesh for Living” we have a more playful approach with the music being quite exciting, having some Hardcore and even some Modern metal hints, this track is quite enjoyable. The electrifying drumming in “Vaginal Vomination” delivers excellent sections that are quite a revelation for what we were expecting form this release.

It becomes very clear on “Sensation of Death”, that Intestinal is actually more about the music than the traditional DM approach of crafting simple-minded catchy neck-breaking melodies that people mosh to. The band shows with this track their musical chops when delivering furious riffs, super tight drums and a pulsating bass guitar line, with the vocals almost disappearing into the background. Our favorite track is the crushing “Vessel for the Death” and it’s brilliant speed-ups.

The brutality and technical proficiency of songs like “Slaughter” and “Eating Your Inner Organs” clearly showcase a very skilled band that is focused on crafting the best songs they can make. We are quite impressed by the overall quality of this release and how it feels very traditional but it never gets mind-numbingly boring like most of DM releases. If you are looking for something brutal but with some excellent production values and quite interesting and diverse music, “The Rottening” is the release for you.

Release: March 26th, 2012

Genre: Death Metal

Country: Sweden