THE ROTTED

TED MAUL

London based industrial death metallers Ted Maul are the main support act on The Rotted's album launch mini-tour of the UK. Formed back in 2002, they have only just started to rise to prominence within the scene - indicative of this was their recent appearance at this year's Download festival on the Gibson Stage. Combining thrash-edged death metal riffs, electronic elements including occasional drum n bass influenced breakbeats, with incisively growled vocals, Ted Maul have a fairly original sound overall. Oozing musical talent, and with a concomitant dynamic performance, the six band members deliver an impressively tight set that is well received by a smallish, although animated, audience. Signed to their own label, Raise The Game, the imminence of a bigger deal and greater success is surely a certainty for them, for they may well be the band who are able to bridge the gap between extreme metal genericism and inaccessible (to some) experimentalism, for Ted Maul sit very comfortably between the two. Incredibly impressive.

DATE:

VENUE:

Friday 4th July 2008

Junktion7 in Nottingham, UK

THE ROTTED

Deciding to change their name from Gorerotted to The Rotted after many years in existence as the former, citing reasons such as different musical directions with their latest material, and no longer wanting to feel 'constricted' by the gore-death subgenre's associated idioms, was news that received mixed reactions when announced by the band in April this year. Perhaps overshadowing this announcement, at least in terms of unlikeliness, was the news a few weeks later that one of the tracks from their stunning new album had inexplicably found its way onto Topshop/Topman's instore playlist alongside songs by far more commercial artists such as Supergrass, Elvis Costello and Kate Bush! Surreal or not, the widespread media attention surrounding this has been good publicity for the band at a time when both their music and identity is in a transitional stage, and helps spread the word about this 'new' band The Rotted. And that is the way they want to be regarded - as a new band, making a fresh start in the business. Obviously they already have a loyal, extant fan base from their days as Gorerotted, though their touring set only contains brief musical nods towards their former guise with older tracks such as 'Nervous Gibbering Wreck' from 2005's 'A New Dawn For The Dead'. The main focus tonight is on new material from recently released Metal Blade album 'Get Dead or Die Trying', and the tracks sound as heavily effective live as they do recorded. In fact, the majority of songs from the CD receive an airing including 'Kissing You With My Fists'; 'A Return To Insolence'; 'Fear And Loathing In Old London Town'; 'Nothin' But A Nosebleed', and 'The Howling' with its outro a pastiche of Pantera's 'Fucking Hostile'. Playing to a slightly bigger audience than Ted Maul, a large number of punters stand at the front to engage in some good old fashioned headbanging, while pit madness ensues behind them. Reciprocating with such positive crowd reactions, The Rotted deliver on every level, and the addition of ex-Cradle Of Filth guitarist Gian Pyres to their lineup has brought another dimension to both their sound and performance. It is too early to judge whether the impact of the name change will carry with it positive or negative repercussions for their career, although based on this evening's performance, and the strength of the new material, the Londoners deserve nothing but greater success within the scene (and peripheral to the scene if their music continues to infiltrate mainstream, trendy clothes stores!).

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TED MAUL

Reviews & Photography by Mark Holmes

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