The mix between Death Metal and Thrash Metal (the order of the words matter, mind you all, because the mix between Thrash Metal and Death Metal is another genre) isn't a new form of playing Metal at all, it exists since the 80's. One can say that POSSESSED is a pioneer of it, as "Beyond the Gates" shows (remembering that the quartet back then said they were a Thrash Metal band and not a Death metal one). But the forms of playing it vary from School to School, from band to band, and it's not easy to lay a definition of what is and what's not. Take a bit on ROTHEADS second album, "Slither in Slime" to know what these works mean.

These Romanians slaughters use a classical form of Death/Thrash Metal, but in a personal way that depicts their identity. Of course one can trace influences of DEATH, POSSESSED, BENEDICTION, DEICIDE, MORBID ANGEL, DISMEMBER and others on their music, it's not a sin (to be influenced doesn't mean to be a copy, after all). It's different from the usual, but not in a form that will scandalize the more puritan fans. To work in the studio, the band hired Andrei Spataru "Oase" (recording, editing), Detto Vincent Detto (mixing), and Ted Tringo (mastering). The result is something brutal, crude and bitter, with nasty and rough instrumental tunes and vocals sounding like coming from the depths of a cave. But things worked in a form that one can understand what's being expressed by the quartet.

"Vampyric Inbreeding" is a song with a classical appeal on Death/Thrash Metal inherited from the first half of the 90's, but using some melodic arrangements on the guitars to improve the extreme hooks of the song, and the same happens on "Lost in the Cemetery Gardens" (but with solid sets of rhythmic contrasts created by bass guitar and drums, with that latent influence of hardcore inherited by Death Metal). Still using contrasts between fast and slow tempos, "Gut Mauled" is sharp and an invitation to shake your heads as Hell, but the grunts fits extremely great on the slower parts. And the same elements are shared by "Gore Coffin" (but in this one, the faster tempos are better). Filled with a bitter and moldy horror-like feeling, "Spectral Visitation" presents to the fans a classic Death Metal song with some touches of Thrash Metal, based on ghostly arrangements on the guitars and grunts, and the same appears on "Skin Forest" (where some clean Jazz-influenced parts turns things even more tasteful). And "Dragged Through Existence", a nine-minutes onslaught, shows careful nasty arrangements on the chords, but with the drumming being strong and heavy, with a good technical approach. All that extreme Metal fans can ask of an album.

As final words, "Slither in Slime" is really a very good release, and ROTHEADS can offer even more in the future. As it's a new band, a lot of their potential to create music is still hidden.