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Rotten Sound is a Finnish grindcore band, formed in 1993 in Vaasa.
Rotten Sound plays music in the same vein as Napalm Death and Extreme Noise Terror, lyrically attacking social issues such as greed, conformity, and racism. The band has been praised mostly for its ferocity and relentlessness, as well as the unusually high musicianship of the group, particularly ex-drummer Kai Hahto, who left to join the Finnish progressive/melodic death metal band Wintersun.
History
Formation, Under Pressure and Drain (1993-2000)
Rotten Sound was founded by guitarist Mika Aalto in Vaasa, Finland, in 1993. The group started recordings in 1994, releasing the single Sick Bastard through Genet label. Their subsequent underground releases, between singles and EPs, included 1995's Psychotic Veterinarian on SOA, 1996's Loosin' Face on Anomie, and 1997's Splitted Alive on IDS.[1]
"Sometimes a band exists just to be as brutal as possible, to be as brutal because of the sake of being brutal. And can there be a more brutal band than Rotten Sound-"
- Erik Heylen, Lords of Metal e-zine[2]
Rotten Sound's first full-length album, Under Pressure, was released by Repulse Records (a Spanish label) in 1998 and was followed by Drain (also on Repulse) in 1999. This album was also the debut of second guitarist Juha Ylikoski. In early 2000, the band signed with American Necropolis Records, a subsidiary Deathvomit label for release the EP Still Psycho, which included a cover of Carcass's "Reek of Putrefaction".[3] Paul Kott of Allmusic praised the album saying, "Rotten Sound does a good job, and although the audio production does leave something to be desired, the finished product is well worth listening to for any fan of earlier death metal and more recent grindcore. The video segments are very well-produced, with fantastic live audio recording, multiple camera angles, and good edits."[3] The band toured in Europe to promote the album, along with label mates Hateplow, In Aeturnum and Malevolent Creation.[4]
Murderworks and Exit (2001-2005)
Rotten Sound release their second full-length, Murderworks, in 2002. The Allmusic reviewer Alex Henderson stated, "This 2002 release gives the listener no room to breathe; from start to finish, Murderworks is an exercise in sensory assault for the sake of sensory assault."[5] For the album's promotion, the group headline a European tour, titled Murdering Europe, with support of two Czech bands, Fleshless and Lykathea Aflame.[4] They also toured Europe during June 2003, along with Hateplow and Debauchery.[6] In May 2004, Rotten Sound teamed up with Circle of Dead Children, Phobia and Strong Intention for US Grind the East Coast tour.[7] The band's fourth studio album, Exit, was recorded at Soundlab studio in Örebro, Sweden with engineer Mieszko Talarczyk and mastered at the Cutting Room. Shorly after their release, the album peaked at number 22 on the Finnish album charts.[8] In March 2005, the band teamed up with Disfear for a co-headline Scandinavian tour.[9]
Members
- Mika Aalto (aka "Q") - guitar (1993-present)
- Keijo Niinimaa (aka "G") - vocals (1993-present)
- Toni Pihlaja (aka "T") - bass (2003-present)
- Sami Latva - drums (2006-present)
Former members
- Masa Kovero - bass (1994)
- Ville Väisänen - drums (1994)
- Kai Hahto (aka "K") - drums (1995-2006)
- Pekka Ranta - bass (1998-2000)
- Juha Ylikoski (aka "J") - guitar (1998-2001)
- Mika Häkki (aka "H") - bass (2000-2003)
Discography
EPs
Full-length albums
Splits
References
External links
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