Order Shall Prevail

I'd have to say that this is an actual step up from 'Terror Regime'. The production is more solid, the riffs a little bit tighter and the leads a bit better than their predecessor. The vocals match the guitar pretty well and that double bass drum kick just slays. I would have to venture to say that this band continues to get better as they're progressing as musicians. That's what we all hope for are that musicians do not lose their creative abilities as they age. One example of a band that has definitely not progressed over the years is Deicide. When musicians don't progress, the once able capabilities go stagnant and digress.

These guys are experimenting with sounds here and their leads department has gotten a bit better. The vocals match the music pretty well. And the drums do the band justice by being on cue. The production quality is still good, maybe a little bit better than the last album. It's just that the mixing sounds a little more balanced, I would venture to say that this is definitely a band that's going to hang around for years to come. I think they need a better audience though. That is, a wider audience. There seems to be a shortage of people that know about this band so it's as if where to start?

Another somewhat short release, but still I enjoyed every minute of it. They really know how to keep ones interest! The rhythm guitar riffs are about as good as the last album, maybe a little notch upward. I still think though they need better lead guitars. Not to say that they haven't improved because they have but just it'd be better if they had guitarists that were better skilled in that department. The rhythms are just dynamite though! That's what draws people in the most well at least they do for me! They don't let up, either. This whole album is riffs galore. Just amazing vitality this band has!

I went ahead and bought a copy of this album. I thought that since I'd rather support music that I like I'd buy the physical copy. But everyone is different in that department. Some well maybe the most prefer a digital copy of the album. To me, things sound better on the stereo than headphones. But that's just my personal preference. I would say just do what your pocketbook allows you especially since there's a limited number of copies for this one. I was fortunate to get a physical one. This band could use the support! If you aren't convinced even reading this review then I'm not sure what to tell you. This band keeps progressing! So support them!

Having been in the business of re-affirming old school death metal practices for over 20 years, it's pretty safe to say that Jungle Rot are veterans at their craft, nay, an institution onto themselves. They've been accused of being a bit too consistent, perhaps even to the point of recording the whole album seven or eight times (depending upon if one counts their 1995 demo Skin The Living as a full length album, which it could pass for), though a closer examination will reveal a band that has ebbed and flowed between 2 forms of death metal traditionalism. Their earliest offerings were pretty comfortably nestled in the death/thrash character of fast and heavy neck destruction that the style inherited from Slayer and a few other seminal bands from the mid 1980s, though somewhat informed by the hardcore/death 'n' roll infused style that was being popularized by Entombed and Six Feet Under. But by the early 2000s they were more in line with a stripped down, groove-infused and ultimately safe style that didn't start to work its way back to a fully traditional thrashing sound until 2011's Kill On Command.

Order Shall Prevail continues Jungle Rot's recent tendency towards the older mode of death metal typified in Obituary and Bolt Thrower (post-Realm Of Chaos), leaning in heavy on the styles thrash influences while still frequently making use of grooving breakdowns here and there to cut up the wilder thrashing and tremolo infused frenzies. The album's overall lyrical theme covers the usual bases of violence and warfare, only now with a greater hint of internal political strife that does give the album a slight modern groove/thrash feel at times, complete with a vocal guest slot by Max Cavalera on "Fight Where You Stand", which proves to be one of the more speedy and chaotic offerings of the bunch, and occasionally seems to offer some comparison's to Cavalera's short-lived mid-90s project Nailbom, minus the electronic elements. This song reflects a general tendency towards a fairly simple and limited riff set and a heavy emphasis on attitude and aggression, but touched up with some occasional lead guitar detailing that's somewhat more restrained than the obligatory Kerry King inspired shredding, but is generally geared in that direction.

Naturally apart from the aforementioned guest vocalist's slot, most of what has been described doesn't do a lot to separate this album from the previous two, but there is a fair amount of existent, albeit subtle contrasts that make this album just a tad bit more fun than its immediate predecessors. Apart from a slightly greater degree of lead guitar noodling and a somewhat more upbeat character, the use of recurring gang-chorus parts definitely provides further accent points through which the thrash elements of this album further shine through, along with a somewhat more versatile vocal approach out of Dave Matrise that includes some higher pitched screams that resemble Chuck Schuldiner's earlier days with Death a fair bit, not to mention a glass-shattering shriek at the beginning of the opening thrasher "Doomsday" that's right out of vintage Tom Araya territory. In fact, apart from a couple of token nods to the groovier side of the death metal equation in "Paralyzed Prey" and "The Dread Pestilence", this album could just about pass for a quintessential de facto thrash metal band with a death metal vocalist that generally prevailed between 1989 and 1991.

The chief criticism of Jungle Rot still holds true, namely that they aren't style-hopping enough for some or they've refused to go with the times (whatever that means), but such is the plight of just about every band that's put out more than three albums without losing their core audience. It doesn't fully disown the more hardcore oriented character of this band's middle period, but it definitely limits it to a few isolated songs here and opts for something that's definitely a one-fingered salute to the entire concept of modern death metal. Perhaps there is something to that joke that's occasionally gets brought up about this band not changing anything other than their lineup, but hyperbole aside, Order Shall Prevail is definitely on the stronger side of this band's lengthy catalog, and anyone who has stuck it out for the past several years or longer will find little cause to complain.

I hold my hands up and confess - I am a huge old school death metal junkie. But for some reason, everything beyond Obituary's "World Demise" has managed to avoid my radar (save for Chuck Schuldiner's work, obviously). This means I sadly missed out on the 1997 debut album, and subsequent consistency, of Wisconsin deathsters Jungle Rot. It was only by chance I happened to glance upon the awesome cover art for 2015's "Order Shall Prevail" in a magazine. From there I needed to hear what was contained within. It's a good job I previously mentioned Obituary, as Jungle Rot make a solid substitute for the sluggish, samey efforts Tardy and co. have been releasing recently.

Though not familiar with any of the Rot's previous work - the animalistic explosion of opening track Doomsday, with its proto-thrash riffs and savage rhythms, has me hooked for life. The general sound of Jungle Rot is one of focus, savagery and grit - but above all - fun. The American quartet sound like they're all having the time of their lives (shouldn't this be the case for all metalheads?!). Despite this being their 9th full-length, David Matrise and co. continue to pummel on and on as if it's their first gig in a subterranean garage. Speaking of Matrise, his vocals are a pretty integral part of why this album is so entertaining. They growl away tirelessly, never becoming garbled, and are backed up by some wonderfully boisterous gang-vocals from the rest of the band. I especially appreciate the amount of "Ooh!"s and "Ugh!"s he employs to accentuate certain sections - exactly what we need!

The production quality is spot on - emphasising the heaviness of some of the laid-back grooves, whilst simultaneously clarifying the more speed-driven riffs. Joey Muha's drums in particular benefit the most from this excellent mixing - the snare is metallic and martial, whilst the bass drum clicks away satisfyingly underneath. Admittedly, the bass, though it is audible, is doing absolutely nothing special and simply mirrors the rhythm guitar. Disappointing? Maybe. Do I care? Nope - this is some fun, heavy, groovy shit!

An important element of a death metal album (for me at least), is that each song is distinguishable from the last. "Order Shall Prevail" contains enough dynamic variation to keep each listen exciting, whilst remaining stylistically loyal. The frenzied blast-beats of "Doomsday" and the title-track, contrast wonderfully with the stomping groove of "Paralyzed Prey" and "E.F.K." ("Eat. Fuck. Kill." in case you were wondering. I know, brilliant!). Within each track is also enough contrast and variety to keep our faces grinning and our necks breaking. The windmill-encouraging "Blood Revenge" surprises enough within its compound rhythms; the title-track and "Trench Tactics" both possess a classic OSDM breakdown which are the highlights of the whole record; and the blues-laden riffage of mid-tempo rocker "I Cast The First Stone" is utterly infectious.

I only have two gripes with "Order Shall Prevail". Firstly, track 6, "The Dread Pestilence", is a bit of a moody crawler with no memorable moments to help it shine. It's still a shitload more interesting that anything Cryptopsy have come out with in recent years, but compared to the rest of the gems on this album, it's fodder. And secondly, the inclusion of guest vocals from none other than Max Cavalera (!) should have had a bigger impact. Although his primal barks on "Fight Where You Stand" are riotous and pumped - he's just not used well enough.

However, these are the complaints of a chihuahua clinging on to the colossal ankle bones of Godzilla. Jungle Rot's "Order Shall Prevail" is a retro death metal sound for the modern age, a 101 lesson in how to marry groove and thrash successfully, and most importantly, one hell of a good time! Yet another contender for 'album of the year'? Quite possibly.

"A wrathful legion,
Under command.
No room for cowards,
Fight where you stand!!"

For a band that seems to have developed something of a reputation for consistency (or, if you're feeling less charitable, for doing the same damn thing with every successive album), the Jungle Rot of today is certainly a far cry from the Jungle Rot of yore. The past couple of albums have seen them bring the thrash sections and tremolo breaks that previously functioned as tension-builders for the grooves up to the forefront, resulting in records that are generally much more upbeat and speed-oriented than their output in the late 90s and early 2000s ever was. And, well, I can't say it's an improvement.

Simply put, the thrash component that was increasingly marginalised up through Fueled by Hate and thereafter began surging back into prominence was never where Jungle Rot shined. That was okay on earlier albums, where the tremolo riffs were mostly just there to build tension leading up to those massive grooves and hardcore-inflected breakdowns, but now they're front and center, and they're not cutting it. They're not actively offensive, but they rarely distinguish themselves or seize the listener's attention the way good riffs ought to; they just kind of... exist. And the grooves, the foundation upon which Jungle Rot have built their reputation for delightfully knuckle-dragging fare? Woefully lacking as a consequence of the tremolo riffs' predominance-- you can basically count the number of times they settle into a good, old school Jungle Rot groove without it serving as a backing riff to a solo on your two hands, and when they do appear, they don't linger long before going back into the next uninspired tremolo riff. Gone are the days of going from hard-hitting groove to hard-hitting groove to Neanderthalic breakdown to hard-hitting groove, carrying the momentum through each riff. Jungle Rot have now chosen to highlight the weakest link in their chain of song-writing, and the momentum, memorability, and general enjoyability suffers for it.

Individual performances are nothing to write home about either, but they never have been; you're never going to find Sean Reinert or Steve DiGiorgio level musicianship on an album with Jungle Rot's logo sprawled across the front of it. Everything is adequately executed in terms of musicianship, but paired to such subpar riffing and songwriting, does adequate really suffice? The drums are content to operate within the usual thrash beats and double-bass to the point of monotony, the bass is barely audible and faithfully dogs whatever the guitars are playing anyway, the solos come and go and contribute little to the overall album, and Dave Matrise's gruff barks seem thinner and raspier than the more guttural fare on show on earlier records (Max Cavalera makes a guest vocal appearance on 'Fight Where You Stand', which I initially assumed in this review was bassist James Genenz, who often provides backing vocals live-- oops. That being said, Cavalera's guest appearance is pretty unremarkable, and doesn't even really sound all that distinct from Matrise). Jungle Rot was never about impressing the listener with garish displays of technical mastery, but then, simplicity really only works if you have the riffs, or the atmosphere, or the sheer crushing momentum to carry it. On Order Shall Prevail, Jungle Rot brings none of those to the table.

Perhaps it's unfair to continuously compare a band to its past output-- musicians are entitled to change and evolve the way they play and write music. It's just not possible to ignore the fact that on this album, Jungle Rot have marginalised the element they do best, elevated the element they do worst, and failed to compensate for the fact that they're just not very good at writing thrashier materiel; even a song like 'Paralyzed Prey', which aspires to recapture the chunky groovefests of albums past, doesn't succeed in recalling the momentum and driving force that Jungle Rot once commanded. Order Will Prevail just feels stale and flat, and frankly, gives the listener no reason to choose it over any number of other thrashy death metal albums that have better riffs or a more dynamic sense of momentum. Highly disappointing from a band that has previously proven death metal can be 100% brainless and still kick ass, and an album you can and should just ignore.