Review: “Something Is Rotten In Humanity” by Unbound Terror

Resurrecting a band after a hiatus is no mean feat but it has to be said that guitarist Vicente J Payá (Golgotha, Sons Of Cult) has done so in style with Spanish Death Metal act Unbound Terror. The bands origins date back to 1990 when they were formed as Putrefeact Monstruosity from the ashes of a previous band called Toxic Waste. 1991 demo “Sarcastic Souls” was followed by a well received debut album “Nest of Affliction” in 1992, however the band went on hiatus a year late after a split EP and two further demos. Fast forward the tape twenty six years and the corpse was re-animated courtesy of an injection of adrenaline by Payá who has delivered two albums and a compilation of re-recordings since in partnership with bassist and vocalist Andrew Espinosa who are both part of Golgotha. It has not all been plain sailing however as other musicians have been and gone with alarming regularity over the past six years. For “Something Is Rotten In Humanty” lead guitar duties were handled by Ancor Ramírez Santana (Holycide, ex-Archantia), drums by Davide Billia (Avulsed, Holycide, Posthuman Abomination), who also mixed and mastered the record, leaving Alejandro Lobo (Dissonath, Krueger, Misanthropy) to add keys. Since this new work of pure evil was committed to tape, Engelbert Rodas (Inbreeding Sick, ex-Melting Flesh) has been announced as the bands new drummer with Santana believed to have departed after less three months in the fold…

Wrapped in artwork by Juan Castellano (Furnace, Vomitory, Ribspreader) the fourth studio album from Unbound Terror gets underway with a Groove Death monster in “Fear Of Dying“, the raspy dry throated vocals reminiscent of the New York Old School Death Metal sound. The rhythmic chugging power of the bulldozer is electric with malevolent darkness, however the leads elevate proceedings in slick fashion and are almost at odds with the nasty nature of this beast. The same can be said of those in “Destiny of Evil” which are truly spellbinding against the artillery shelling of percussive battery and rumbling bass. They’re like an otherworldly melody calling from the void with urgency, offering one final chance to repent for your sins before the pearly gates are slammed shut and you’re forced into the jaws of an apex predator in Hell. Chugging chord progressions and violent bursts of blast beats give “Demons In Your Mind” a venomous kick, the gravelly death growled vocals and haunting synths completing the picture painted in the blood of their enemies. The solo on this one builds the oppressive atmosphere but what follows is circle pit worthy madness playing out at the tempo of the eternally damned.

The War machine continues to billow smoke with “Reviving“, a cut which is the epitome of classic Death Metal. A whirlwind of drumming with moments that burst and pop with clever fills, a groove laden bass line and a solid down tuned riff all create a sinister and menacing backdrop for the plague winds emanating from the throat of Espinosa before Santana can inflict further damage to the cranium with another incredible solo. The musicianship isn’t just masterful, its majestic and by the time “Inside Death” comes home to roost you’re well and truly won over by Vicente J Payá’s nightmarish vision of would Unbound Terror should sound like the modern era. As it goes, that one has a riff of Swedish Death Metal origins as well as enough double bass kicks to bring down a monument that has stood for centuries. Ferociously fierce with hypnotic trance educing rhythms of the highest order, its a moment to savour, like Skeletal Remains on steroids. A vocal change up to something a little shriller during the bone snapping “The Disappointment” is a wonderfully merciless moment as the river runs red with the blood of the corpses, Unbound Terror seeking to regain their crown as Spanish Death Metal titans and doing so in style.

There is no escape from the dark, damp torture chamber hell and “Divine Virtue” offers up a fleeting bass solo during another blood thirsty onslaught of menacing groovy riffs and caustic vocals. By this point the drumming has reached restless and relentless levels of nastiness, the clean and crisp sound they’ve been given allowing you to enjoy or endure every single second. Another sublime solo ignites the flames of a towering inferno, this funeral pyre of a track utterly timeless. It could have come out at any point in the last forty five years and no one would have batted an eyelid or complained on social media, the only give away being the more modern production standard. “Believing Again” takes a leaf out of the Glen Benton book of Florida Death Metal, the growling vocals and thunderous rhythms a call to the mosh pit before the solo offers a little respite, the whammy bar action of the final moments an absolute joy. Closing with a Death Thrash instrumental is a nice touch and in “The Evil Cause” Unbound Terror provide another piece of masterful musicianship. As you’d expect, flamboyant solos fly over chugging riffs of dark atmosphere and you can’t help wonder if this will end up being used in a remake of Samuel M. Raimi’s The Evil Dead at some point… [8.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Fear of Dying
2. Destiny of Evil
3. Demons in Your Mind
4. Reviving
5. Inside Death
6. The Disappointment
7. Divine Virtue
8. Believing Again
9. The Evil Cause (Instrumental)

“Something Is Rotten In Humanity” by Unbound Terror is out 1st April 2025 via Xtreem Music