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Released on March 25, 2016 via Season of Mist
The Finnish grindcore freight-train that is Rotten Sound have been obliterating skulls for over 20 years at this point; in what seems to be an endless sea of acts that practice the genre the band have remained highly relevant, and have now released their seventh and first release on Season of Mist. Since the release of their finest path of destruction, Exit, Rotten Sound has indulged in a far denser production quality, to the degree where the instruments don’t clatter and hammer alongside each other, but rather bleed into an immeasurable mass of riffs, muddy bass and drums that serve as a pummelling anchor. Their Relapse Records effort Cursed saw the use of this, but perhaps suffered from slightly more hollow production, whereas Abuse to Suffer nods back the production density of 2008’s Cycles; the result is a grindcore record that stays true to the purpose and decimates without hesitation from start to finish.
The opener gives what could be the only eligible time to take a breath at the start of the track, before descending into the flurries of razor guitars and drumming so thick that it can only be likened to tectonic movement. Keijo Niinimaa’s vocals straight off the bat sound the most solid and gut shredding than they ever have before, he delivers furiously over the instrumentation and sounds as punching as the music itself. The record blares by at a rate too fast to measure, it’s all consuming in its heaviness to the point where the tracks bleed and meld into one another, creating an audible experience so ravaging yet gripping it’s difficult to pull away.
‘Crooked’ marks a point where the impressive and memorable riff work is truly exemplified; after the intro a pause allows a sudden plummet into the swirling madness once again, before executing one of the better and utterly crushing riffs on the entire record. This addictive heaviness is present once again on ‘Time for the Fix’, one of the longer and structured tracks. At times the rest of the shorter tracks create an unrelenting drive of grindcore can disorientate the track list, so significant moments like this maybe more of a winner for those needing a moment to drag themselves off the floor after the battering.
‘Brainwashed’ serves as another compelling juncture on Abuse to Suffer and was one of the initial offerings prior to the record’s release. With a wailing, climbing guitar riff and thundering, almost hardcore-esque drum passages, this track is nothing short of a belter and a take away track for a lot of listeners. However, the true standout for me out of all 16 tracks is ‘Yellow Pain’, a track far more sludge metal in its influence. The opening riff is a trudging, dragging weight that distances the band instantly from grindcore; the track is a welcome come down from the whirlwind taking place before it.
From here the record accelerates once more into mauling bursts, the track ‘Retaliation’ singles itself as somewhat of an anthem if you can call it that, before reaching the final and longest moment on the record ‘Extortion and Blackmail’. Rotten Sound allow for one last avalanche of buzz-saw guitars and blast-beats before hitting the final march; the drums grind to a slow pounding and the guitars repeat a twisted serpentine riff before being devoured by a wave of harsh noise.
Abuse to Suffer flew by me on first listen, as I think it will for most, but multiple listens reveals this band’s continuing ability to write crushing yet articulated grindcore tracks that are as chaotic as they are formulated within the track listing. Certainly you can lose your place in the constant barrage of music here, yet I think there’s plenty here for grindcore fans to keep returning to. They have certainly improved upon Cursed and are likely to boast one of the better grindcore releases of the year.
