Rotten UK : "Age of Chaos"

 Remember when punk was fun? It cared about songs and thrashed with a darker mood lurking under it. Yeah, I am talking about bands like the Exploited and GBH. Bands that obviously influenced this band, take the angry fire and make their own sound with it. Not only did they capture the sound, but they also wrote song catchy songs while not compromising the aggression getting there. They know the finer points of riffs and dynamics. The riff to "Ten of Swords" is one of the album's standouts. The album is produced just right for a punk album of this kind, as the tones are well mixed, but not so raw that the quality suffers. Not a ton of overdubs, and even fewer studio tricks. Just plugging in a going for it. 

"Condemned By Chaos" sounds more like Venom than the punk bands of old. Though Venom is almost more of a punk band than a metal band. Traces of death rock seep through on "Fear Knot" which finds singer James Von Sinn singing more than the throat growl that characterized the first few songs. This brings enough melodic nuance to hold my attention. There is more of a rock stomp to "Baphomet Rising". Not the first song with an almost metal use of occult imagery in the lyrics. "Age of Chaos" is under a minute so it's almost just an interlude. It could have been worked into "Decolonization". Which feels more like your run-of-the-mill punk. 

There is a more metallic attack to "Rain on My Funeral". The sung chorus has more hook to it without giving into cheese. "A Witch is Born" throbs with a darker and more melodic mood until building up into a crustier punk feel. The vocals are more bellowed than sung, but it still works well. It's impressive how they get heavier in such a sonic fashion. "City of 1000 Ghosts" plays it safe and sticks to a more tried and true punk formula. Though it still manages to be catchier than most punk. They keep a more palm-muted tension to "Into the Abyss".There is more of an angular feel to "Broken Door" that works off a more angular syncopation.  It is kept deliberate and brooding. The last song is a faster blast beaten affair, but it works for what it is. There is a rock-n-roll swagger to it, so I will give this one a 9.5. 

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