We may be swinging into the festive season; however, in a solidly fruitful year for grindcore enthusiasts, there is still much time to grind. Rocketing in late, Finland’s legendary Rotten Sound, one of grind’s most prolific, consistent, and underappreciated acts, return with their whopping 11th EP and follow-up to their eighth full-length, 2023’s Apocalypse. At this stage of a long and storied career, Rotten Sound revel in familiar realms of their crusty, grinding chaos, refusing to budge from a steadfast formula, while sounding as tight, energized, and pissed off as ever, impressively plying such an abrasive trade of extremity for over three decades. With scant time to get their point across, can Rotten Sound continue their impeccable track record?
A tick under ten minutes is all the wily Finnish heavyweights need to batter your senses and spike your adrenaline in typically violent fashion. While raw intensity and tautly wound balls of gnarled, punky riffs, dry-throated vox and cyclonic drumming remains at the forefront of Rotten Sound’s relentless mode of attack, their shrewd sense of melody, infectiously nasty riffcraft, and appreciation of the art of the down and dirty grind groove stands out from their peers. Mass Extinction may not stand amongst the band’s most essential work, but it certainly doesn’t feel phoned in or half-baked. Rotten Sound’s crafty tweaking of their trusty formula to remain fresh, coupled with youthful exuberance and seasoned rage, ensures they remain sonically and musically as sharp and intense as ever.
Rotten Sound continue deploying grind with a crunchy, punky d-beaten edge and Swedeath influence, combining modern Scando-grind with the classic spirit of the subgenre’s early forefathers. “Recycle” squeezes every ounce of energy, conviction, and barbed discordance from its accomplished architects, blasting and riffing at light speed, before detonating a trademark, beastly palette cleansing groove. It’s a lean, mean, furious delight. The song’s following counterparts largely follow suit in consistent quality and signature style, taking no prisoners. Rotten Sound mostly compensates for the lack of surprises with the sheer vitriolic rage and intensity they maintain on each release. Their steely edge showing no signs of softening, an impressive feat across such a lengthy career timespan, especially in grind years.
The chunky bulk of the material locks into full throttle savage mode, bursting with punky, belligerent fury (‘Polarized,” “Idealist,” “Empty Shells”). “Ride of the Future” incorporates sludgy, hefty riffs and grooves into its crusty assault, while “Brave New World” tinkers with greater tempo variation and snippets of melody within its sample-laden attack. Rotten Sound pack plenty into the EP’s scant runtime, with the only minor downside being the safety net familiarity and slight blurring of the songwriting lines on Mass Extinction’s rawest, fastest moments of white knuckled extremity. Keijo Niinimaa’s vocals sound as nasty and hateful as ever before, using global turbulence and political unrest as fuel for his vocal and lyrical spite. The rest of the band showcase typically impressive chops, tearing through each hyperspeed composition with tightly synced chemistry and sharp precision. Overall, the sonic profile is crisp and crunchy, with the right amount of filth in the guitar tone. Unfortunately, another brickwalled master brings the experience down a notch.
Mass Extinction marks another worthy entry into the unstoppable canon of one of grindcore’s enduring legends. Although it cannot contend with the band’s best works, Mass Extinction possesses the signature stamp of quality that has trademarked Rotten Sound’s career. Perfect for a rev-up or cathartic release, Rotten Sound hit the mark again, punching an exclamation point on the grind scene for 2025. Here’s hoping 2026 delivers another similarly brutal, top-notch year of grind.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Media Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Season of Mist
Websites: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: December 12th, 2025
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