Review by Adam M on September 10, 2019.

Hath perform a very interesting form of death metal that has a lot of layers to it.  The music has a typical death metal feel, but with interesting sections added in to make it feel broader in nature.  It has really crazy guitar riffs that make it almost a technical death metal release at times, but they are held in check by solid songwriting that makes it more like a typical death metal release.  Add in acoustic portions and changes in heaviness throughout and you have a fairly diverse album that is one of the better ones from the death metal genre so far this year. 

The track lengths are fairly long which enable the band to demonstrate their songwriting skills and depth to adequate measure.  There are equal parts Cryptopsy and Morbid Angel here.  The technical portions are counterbalanced by moodier portions that make this a varied and interesting release. There are extended sections of noodling, but they are kept in a confined position by the structure of the work.  It still isn’t perfect and tends to lose out a bit in the progressive death metal stakes as it isn’t completely committed to that facet.  Thus bands like Death have material that is more interesting and fulfilling than what is found here. 

Still, with such a colourful, varied and impactful sound, this ends up being one of the more rewarding death metal albums of the year so far.  If it wasn’t for the vicious vocal style, this would be more comparable to an older Opeth release with all the dynamics present.  Still, the music is definitely heavier sounding than Opeth at even its most extreme and brings some huge chops to the table.  Of Rot and Ruin is definitely a thoughtful and impactful death metal release.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10