EP Review: Rotgut - 24 oz Cantrip
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
This was another one of those bands where the initial attraction came from the name, as I’m sure we’ve all suffered from a bit of Rotgut over the years after one too many drinks and a curry afterwards. However, after the few listens of this 5 song EP, I was pleased that I went with my instincts, as this is some damn fine music.
Rotgut are from the famed music city of Seattle, but their black n` thrash` roll is lights years away from the genre busting grunge scene that emerged in the early 1990’s. This is an all guns blazing, ferocious onslaught that has a punk attitude wrapped up in blackened feistiness. The trio simply known as FD, C19 and AX, were “assembled against their will by a faceless shadow organization” or so their Instagram page says.
The chaos begins with the superb “Bonemelter” and a riff that will rip your head off, crap down your throat, and you’ll think of several different ways to say thank you afterwards. This is what music is meant to be about, the anger and aggression of thrash combined with the fuck you punk attitude, all for the premise of putting a smile on the face of people who listen. It’s over before it begins and leads into another savage track called “The Hunger”.
For a band who only came together last year, they’ve crafted 5 songs that are extremely memorable, and they pack a punch from start to finish. Best of all, the songs aren’t overly complicated and don’t drag on. The introduction to “Return of the Dead without Eyes” is a stormer and leads into a cracking song. Yes, they’ve got that Midnight sound, but there’s nothing wrong with that, as the genre needs more bands like this, because it’s fun to listen to.
The tempo slows down for “Under the Scarlett Cross”, allowing the trio to demonstrate their musicianship, yet with the same atmospheric layered vocal. It has a more melodic feel to it throughout, allowing the composition to come to the fore. The final song, “Blood and Thunder” sees the trio go back to the blackened thrash approach, with a decent solo in the middle section that gets my head nodding along in approval, before the rhythm comes back and finishes you off. It rumbles along at quite a pace, and rounds off a very enjoyable first EP for the trio.
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