Review: “…And Euphoria for the Hellish” by Entropic Rot

When a band describes their lyrics as “equal parts grotesque and poetic, emotive and metaphoric with traces of hope, romance and beauty“ and then promises “supernatural horror themes with the raw violence of modern deathcore, delivering a relentless barrage of terror punctuated by slam-infused breakdowns” it’s fair to say they had us at hello. The band in question are Bristol Deathcore merchants Entropic Rot who have Kelly Jean Horror to thank for the cover art which adorns “…And Euphoria for the Hellish” as well as Stu McKay (Desolated, Malevolence, Ingested) at Studio 6 for mastering. Everything else was completed in house by vocalist Alex Dorrington and multi instrumentalist Matt Dobroczynski who are joined by bassist Dario Petraczek, drummer Jamie Hardwick and second guitarist Sam Linnell…

Introduction piece “…And Euphoria for the Hellish” sets the scene with the distant cries of the dead, dying and the damned followed by devilish whispers, the blood and thunder of a single savage verse accompanied by buzzsaw guitars opening up the arteries within seconds. Crawling out from the grave “Chewing on Wasps” then finds Dorrington demonstrating his vocal prowess with pig squeals and death growls over MySpace era Beatdown Deathcore guitars. Samples go off like Champagne corks, adding fun moments of darkness to the occasion, the guitars becoming more involved as it plays out in style. Pitch harmonics have always been something as addictive as the latest designer drug and “Force Fed” brings them in to enhance the violence at the start of another skull crushing tune. The bass rumbles as the axe comes down, the downtempo conclusion a moment of uncompromising brutality. Curiously enough there are some parts of this composition that bring “Absentee” by Pitch Black Forecast to mind, even though this is a far heavier record. Rattling the cages to awake the demons within “Blood Light” is a scorcher with Dorrington able to match the likes of Vincent Bennett stride for stride vocally. It works because the throat not simply only a weapon with which to beat your ear drums, instead the delivery is such that you can grasp most of the lyrics and that makes the world of difference because you don’t have to grab a magnifying glass to read the lyric sheet and risk third degree burns in the bright sunshine.

Darkly atmospheric “Her Eyes” combines spoken word and whisper before the first verse, increasing the sense of unease before some blood gargling vocal moments over staccato riff breaks churn and burn. A tale of an occult ritual told in the first person sending a chill down the spine like a Stephen King novel, this one is something of a Pandora’s box of supernatural horror, especially when the demonic sounds enter the ear canals. A moment of calm then comes with “Reflections” then surfaces, its ambient textures haunting like her ghost in the fog while not allowing the discerning listener to escape the feeling that something wicked comes this way. When it does it comes “Dressed in Red” as a tale seemingly of a werewolf tearing the not so little red riding hood limb from limb plays out. The surprise is a moment of melancholia with clean vocals and gentle guitars before a bone snapping grand finale. It has to be said that the transition between the heavier and more melodic moments is slick, a sign of dedication to craft which means any rough edges have been well sanded down. There is one more punishment beating in this dramatic hellscape in the form of “Eclipse“, groove laden guitars providing an anchor between bowel clenching vocal lows. Then the bell tolls and a moment of distorted poetry strikes a demonic chord, an icy moment that isn’t for the faint of heart or the weak of mind. How Entropic Rot have managed to create a record that can only be described as a dance macabre of dark art that genuinely does cross all borders and boundaries beggars belief. Its a Robert Rodriguez classic on steroids [8/10]

Track Listing

1. …And Euphoria for the Hellish
2. Chewing on Wasps
3. Force Fed
4. Blood Light
5. Her Eyes
6. Reflections (Instrumental)
7. Dressed in Red
8. Eclipse

“…And Euphoria for the Hellish” by Entropic Rot is out 5th September 2025 and is available over at bandcamp