BEFOULED – Refuse to Rot
- Posted on 30-08-2018
The Norwegian scumbags that are Befouled unearthed and vomited forth this ugly slab of vile and maggot-infested music not that long ago and if old-school death metal appeals to you then I suggest you pay attention here.
Befouled have a rather simple and straightforward approach to things and their tunes harken back to the early wave of Swedish death metal, which is to say that bands such as Grotesque, Dismember, and Entombed come to mind whenever I spin "Refuse to Rot". Some of those slow and chugging sections even remind me of the Six Feet Under debut offering (i.e. "Haunted"). The buzz saw guitars and the groovy yet blackened riffs are instantly appealing while the powerful vocals are convincing. There is not a trace of originality to this 12-track effort of theirs, but that does not mean that it is not entertaining, because it most certainly is. There is a certain lo-fi underground charm to this record that sucks one in and it is impossible not to be swept away by addictive and memorable tunes such as "Tales From the Tomb", "Wither Ways", and "Feast of the Flesh". Again, there is nothing complex or challenging about "Refuse to Rot", but it does offer a damn good time and is quite refreshing in many ways simply because it sounds like a labor of love.
"Refuse to Rot" is nothing less than rotten to the core and filled with wicked hooks not to mention punch and aggression – just like any proper old-school death metal album ought to be. Definitely worth checking out if primitive and catchy metal gets your tiny dick hard and it is available on CD and tape as well as digitally via Bandcamp, so there is no excuse for not supporting these fuckers.