Jungle Rot
Kill On Command

September 2012
Released: 2011, Victory Records
Rating: 5.0/5
Reviewer: Metal-Rules.com UK Team

Having had quite an extensive career (1994 to be exact) American Death metallers Jungle Rot have been quite busy with releasing a series of albums and EP’s, switching records labels as well as line-up changes over the years. Having been pretty well established, their latest offering KILL ON COMMAND is the next stage of evolution in a band that have been creating some serious waves on the underground with their relentless touring and rigorous song writing approach to their ever-loyal fan base.



Opening with, ’Their finest hour’ introduces a heavily entrenched head banging guitar riff, hard hitting drumming and the signature death metal growl. The song speeds up halfway through and starts pumping with all the adrenaline you would expect from any well established band within the genre. The deep infernal vocals glides over the solid guitar work and double kick pedal sections as lead guitar solos waywardly enter the mix.



‘Blood Ties’ throws in some punchy drumming and a strong emphasis upon the gritty metallic guitars and group vocals screaming “Blood Ties”. The mid section breakdown could easily provide some worthy spin kick/ arm swinging mayhem at any unforgiving mosh pit loyalist.



The album’s title-track ‘Kill on Command’ has a fully induced bass guitar groove that accelerates into a stampede-esque drumming that give the song a foreboding sense of carnage which charges onwards like a battering ram, whilst the vocals and guitar work pummel full of weight and density.



Some of the albums strongest and most memorable moments come from the lead guitar precision of ‘demoralized’ in which the tracks solo rises from the ashes in a smoke like ascension whilst the vocals and drums corrode together in agonizing proportions . Meanwhile, ‘No Mercy (From the Merciless)’ offers some of the best song writing and lyrical content as an attack on humanity pervades throughout, “So inhumane, we take no prisoners. Kill with no shame, slaughter campaign”.



Finally, ‘Life Negated’ showers down in a procession of drumming and droning riffs as the vocals bleed outwards fortifying well against the instrumentation. Although this may be the shortest track on the album, the outro’s guitar solo shows that these guys know how to go out style.



Overall, one thing that surprised me about KILL ON COMMAND, is not the lack of diversity but more the lack of repetition within their songs. Although the record doesn’t offer much in the way of melody or experimentation, each song feels different from the last and none of the tracks here out stay their welcome. If nothing else Jungle Rot are a band who have perfectly honed a style which is full of energy and brutality and it is that quality that makes them stand out. Nice work guys.



Review by Ben Spencer