Review by Felix on March 27, 2020.

Profound Evil Presence, the current album of Power from Hell, features simple yet smoothly flowing songs that reflect a good musical understanding while profiting from a professional production. Spellbondage, their work from the year 2009, is different. Very different.

First things first, we must focus on the (so-called) production. This is usually not the most important thing for me as a non-high-fidelity-fetishist. Yet it becomes the main problem whenever one is confronted with a sound that has the power to kill the entire output. Exactly this is the case here. The guitars remain flat, the ridiculous reverb of the vocals does not make things better and, worse still, sometimes the material suffers from volume fluctuations. Or it sounds as if a partly scratched vinyl has been played too many times. No doubt, this production was done by a deaf man after 72 hours without sleep. Or by an idiot without external contacts who was practicing quarantine for the next appearance of a malicious virus instead of looking for a second opinion. Rasping guitars can be a good thing, but a sickly rasping, massively flawed production ruins an album.

But honestly speaking, the 4/4-rhythm dominated tunes also do not make the day much brighter. The guitar work during a lot of tracks is amateurish, predictable and primitive. The 7th track is the first one which is kicked off by an interesting guitar line. 'Fetish of Hell' convinces with dynamic, dark melodies and power. Too bad that another production flaw rips the ears at 1:56 minutes. Nevertheless, this song is a highlight…

…a highlight of a release which is – despite its technical shortcomings – not that bad. I don’t understand how the band got a label with this material, because it really lacks finesse and remarkable musical skills. But some of the songs have a rough charm and maybe we should accept them as the roots of the style that Power from Hell play today elegantly. The voice is monotonous, surprising breaks are absolutely not available and the riffs hail the filthy master of minimalism. And yet, under all these layers of amateurism, imperfection and production disaster, the shabby heart of the band beats with stoic self-confidence. This deserves respect, at least to a certain extent.

A Bathory medley with a pretty strange selection of Quorthon (R.I.P.) tunes finishes the album. Well, cover versions are no core competence of the band (avoid their bloodless adaption of 'Freewheel Burning' at all costs) and the excerpt of “The Return…” shows that one can play this tune surprisingly powerless. Cruel Force did it much better! So, all in all, Spellbondage constitutes an output for people with a very, very strong faith; you must believe in the power of black/thrash metal, regardless of its production. Otherwise the album will remain a dubious thing. 65% for the music minus 10% for the mix.

Rating: 5.5 out of 10

Review by JD on December 27, 2011.

I was at a local show some time ago, and I remember a drummer for a local metal band (this band is now not in existence anymore) telling me of this amazing British Death Metal band with a Punk-ish name that had blew him away... and I was interested in checking it out as his enthusiasm was infectious as hell. True to form, the late night and too many beers drunk made me forget the name until the band resurfaced as one of a handful of CD’s to be reviewed. The Rotted is that band that had been mentioned.

Combining Old School Death Metal with their love of cocky Hardcore Punk, The Rotted explodes at you with this combination of melody and raw aggression that link the two seemingly opposite genres and meld them together to melt your face with its ferocious vulgarity balanced sound with masterful heaviness and mega talent. It seems they have created the perfect melding of Entombed, Napalm Death and Death with GBH and Cro-Mags with this odd feel of older school Thrash peppered into it in spots.

Each song lays out every last influence the band has in their arsenal, yet clearly this is not just a ‘Death Metal’ or ‘Crossover’ sort of band. The Rotted are a band that I would describe as a perfect example of Extreme Metal that uses many facets to make their music, but they also have a little more to offer as well, which makes the band a better commodity that the usual shit that is out there at this moment.

I don’t remember the name of the drummer that suggested I check out The Rotted. The only thing I can say is I owe ya a few pints of beer. This was very impressive and refreshing. Crossover Death Metal... Ahhh, this is what metal is about.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 8
Originality: 8.5
Overall: 9

Rating: 8.7 out of 10