Rotten Sound is a brutally angry grindcore/death metal band hailing from Vaasa, Finland. On Sunday, Strange Matter will be graced with their remorselessly blistering sound.
Rotten Sound is a brutally angry grindcore/death metal band hailing from Vaasa, Finland. On Sunday, Strange Matter will be graced with their remorselessly blistering sound. This long-running group formed in 1993, but have undergone many lineup changes since they began. Founded by vocalist Keijo Niinimaa (aka “G”), and guitarist Mika Aalto (aka “Q”), their lineup is currently rounded out by drummer Sami Latva, who joined in 2006, and bassist Kristian Toivainen who has been in the band since 2010.
Since 93, Rotten Sound has come a long way and has evolved in both their sound and lyrical content. They produced EPs in both 95 and 96, which were fast and featured guttural vocals but had more of a punk sound. Their first album, Under Pressure, was released in 97. Its fast paced and energetic feel incorporated more metallic influences, and they quickly acquired the admiration and respect of headbanging fans and fellow musicians. Since then, they’ve released five more full-length albums, the most recent being 2011’s Cursed. Their most recent release is the EP Species At War, released earlier this year on Season Of Mist. it can be streamed and downloaded from Rotten Sound’s bandcamp page, here.
The experience of listening to a Rotten Sound album is a rather draining one, even in a relatively calm environment. Their lyrics are an extreme experience as well. Originally focused on gore and destruction, their more recent material adds a political edge, growling about gory pillaged villages left dripping in blood, a deficit of hope, and how religion is used to justify wars. While Rotten Sound have never made it to the mainstream metal scene, they have a very dedicated underground cult following, and Richmond is lucky enough to be on their tour list! People who plan to attend their show should be prepared for a sweat dripping, head banging, stranger shoving mosh pit that they can dive into and release their inner turmoil.
Presented by Vinyl Conflict, Rotten Sound will be performing at Strange Matter on Sunday, May 26, along with Japanese black metallers Abigail–the self-proclaimed “most evil band in Japan”–and locals Suppression and Occultist. This is an early, all-ages matinee show; doors open at 4 PM, and the show will be over by 8 PM–so show up early! Admission is $10, and advance tickets can be purchased at rottensound.eventbrite.com.
