ROTTEN SOUND hailing from Vaasa, Finland were formed in 1993. The Grindcore outfit released eight full-length albums and 10 EPs. Their 11^th EP "Mass Extinction" was mixed by Jesse Gander (3 INCHES OF BLOOD; HAGGATHA; PERPETUAL WARFARE) at Rain City Studios and mastered by Brad Boatright (ALL PIGS MUST DIE; GOYA; MOLOCH) at Audio Slege. It has a length of almost 10 minutes, and it was released via French Black, Death, and Gothic Metal specialists Season of Mist. One of the advantages of reviewing eight songs of a barely 10-minutes release is that you can spin the tracks multpile times while writing. However, that might impose a challenge by itself, if the release is an EP by the Grindcore masters ROTTEN SOUND as you would typically face relentless hammering. "Mass Extinction" is not different to previous releases. The eight tracks are the result of the sessions for the previous album "Apocalypse". When the EP starts with "Recycle", the listener dives into the world of old school Grindcore. The 10 minutes are a blend of blast-beat hammering combined with abrupt mid-tempo changes and some D-beat episodes. The guitar sound is the classical Swedish chainsaw sound, the basslines are crushing, and the growls let out all anger about this world, we are living in. What I like about the vocals are the Hardcore vibes and the aggression. The guitar riffing is punishing to say the least, while some of the mid-tempo parts have a lot of Grooves. While I am now during the sixth listening repeat, it is time to pick out a couple of highlights.

The start of "Recycle" surely sets the tone and it is more than just a kick-into-the-teeth track. "Gone" has those aforementioned Hardcore vibes in the vocals, while someone still needs to send me something faster than "Polarized". It is pure madness and insanity. "Brave New World" is as frantic as all other tracks, and it is the official video release with the YouTube link provided below. With all the hammering, there is almost no room left for melodies. "Idealized" might be a bit of an exception here, but I leave it up to the listener, how "melodic" the track really is. The title track sticks a bit out of the bunch as "Mass Extinction" is with almost two minutes extraordinary long, with a measured tempo and sluggish rhythm, it is slow, and the vocals deliver clean spoken words compared to the aggressive screams. So, classic Grindcore is still alive and well. It is great to see that Grindcore veterans like ROTTEN SOUND stick to their roots and still deliver class after 30+ years. "Mass Extinction" might not go into the history books as a landmark release of ROTTEN SOUND, but everyone should enjoy a relentless 10-minutes hammering and press the repeat button.