17th August 2023

Review: “Self Titled Demo” by Left To Rot

Ahead of the September release of their sophomore EP “Breath Of The Tomb” we return to the summer of 2021 and the self titled demo from Austin Texas natives Left To Rot. The Death Metal trio were formed that year by the axis of evil that is vocalist and guitarist Jason Dahlke and drummer Justin Olejnik, who drew on mutual influences in Grave, Entombed and Death. They found their perfect partner in crime in bassist Aryan Nawim and the rest as they say is history…

The word demo can be used to explain a multitude of sins but for Left To Rot while their self titled debut EP sounds raw, it’s the tape trading raw of the 1980’s and not the recorded on a potato in a cave raw of early Black Metal. Introduced by a sample, the song from which the band take their name to create inception level madness (“Left To Rot” by Left To Rot on… you guessed it, “Left To Rot“) sets the tone with throat grating vocals and Frozen Soul style riffs but it’s the fact that a lot of it is downtempo brutality that makes it fearfully addictive. That slow headbang inducing Death Metal makes way for “Do as the Pagans Do“, a cut with a primitive drum sound due to what sounds like a single microphone that still carries the aura of a sinister and menacing low budget psychological horror film. As with the rest of these tracks, it’s a diamond in the rough that shows plenty of potential if given the time and the budget to commit to tape in a studio with proper mixing and mastering which is the ultimate purpose of a demo like this. A burst of blasting into a breakdown section makes the “The Imposter” a stone cold winner with Skeletal Remains vibes, the lead moments giving it a real edge before “Forced to Exist” brings the bloodstained curtain down on the torrid affair as a tour de force of what this band are about. A old school Sepultura leaning cut, it maintains the caustic vocals while the almost tribal rhythms of the drum sound entice. A bleak affair with a sense of being more personal than some of the other offerings here, it shrouds in perpetual darkness with abrasive guitars and a bass sound that bleeds into the mix. A solid indication of the nuclear threat warning to come from this band, this is the precursor you can sink your teeth into. You have been warned [7/10]

Track Listing