Album Review: Rotting Out - 'Reckoning'

23 March 2015 | 12:01 pm | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

No complaints here.

Classifying bands is an ambiguous task, but it's fair to say that Rotting Out are about as hardcore punk as they come. The band is back with their latest EP 'Reckoning', a taster which launches the shrapnel of their angst into the air unapologetically and fires out their specific brand of discontent fury.

The EP is intimidating, but not in the way that a metal album that shrieks and utilises horror movie excerpts is. It's just real, in a too-close-to-home manner. Every song is striking, every chord as commanding as the other, even though it all seems raw and unplanned at its core.

'Born' is a rocket; it's fast, fun, sassy and aggressive. Its violent instrumentals make it the best track on the EP, apart from a killer opener. The bitter 'Eyes Wide' follows up with throat-searing, tonsil-shattering vocals and guitars that are unified in angrily presenting themselves. Sharp, shrewd drums push them along. 'End of the Road' is resonantly homesick, but also home-disillusioned. The tracks are kicked off with referential snippets, which set the tone and add some drama.

Aside from the original components of the EP, it also includes some Circle Jerks covers (and who's complaining about that?) 'I Don't Care' is an apathetic forty seconds that flies right past, while 'Live Fast Die Young' jams out to the fundamentally flawed ethos its named after.

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To be frank, this isn't an album of the year by any means. It's just a few tracks worth punching some walls to, and who could ask for anything more?

If you’re into straightforward screw-you punk, give this a listen. Rotting Out are reliable for their simultaneous apathy and care for what they comment on, making them a pleasant staple for those who love to channel their anger into hardcore jams. God knows we do.

1. Born

2. Eyes Wide

3. End of the Road

4. I Don’t Care (Circle Jerks cover)

5. Live Fast Die Young (Circle Jerks cover)