Metal Monday: Jungle Rot Kill On Command

posted in: Reviews & Playlists

Jungle Rot is a band that has been hanging out on the fringes of the death metal scene since the mid ’90s, making pure mosh death metal without really taking any time off. This year marks the group’s seventh full-length release”the first with Victory Records (previous labels include Napalm Records, Pure Death Recordings, Pavement Recordings, Crash Music and Olympic Records). Luckily, Jungle Rot delivers exactly what the metal world and Victory roster desperately need with Kill On Command.

No part of Kill On Command is groundbreaking, new or even really fresh”but that’s what makes it a really good listen. The band forgoes frills, experimentation and boundary pushing and sticks to what they know and love: thick riffs, brash vocals and no short supply of mosh sections. In a day and age where everyone is trying to one-up each other in terms of brutality, technicality, progressiveness and seemingly every other aspect of music, good ol’ fashioned death metal has sort of gone by the wayside (especially when you consider Morbid Angel’s latest album).

Jungle rot seems to understand that 1) there’s nothing wrong with the original death metal formula that emerged from Slayer’s style in the early ’90s, and 2) it never really gets old so long as you execute the style well. From Dave Matrise’s vocals to Geoff Bub’s guitar parts, they nail the classic death metal sound that metalheads know and love. There’s not a lot of guitar wankery on the album, but there are riffs galore. You won’t find a ton of breakdowns, but when you do they feel appropriate and don’t overstay their welcome.

Circle-pitters, headbangers and moshers around the globe rejoice, Jungle Rot has your back. Kill On Command is a thirty-seven minute moshing romp through the classic death metal sound, and a refreshing album amongst the rest of the ever-progressing metal realm. The album drops June 21st, so pick it up! In the meantime, you can join Jungle Rot’s OurStage fan club. You could even click the player below and check out some of their older tunes.