Metalcatto
Finland has given us excellent Metal in almost every subgenre. However, have you ever heard of Finnish Grindcore? Chances are you haven’t, which is why veterans Rotten Sound’s Mass Extinction caught my attention. I ended up wondering if those sauna addicts could be good at this, too. I mean, look at that artwork! It’s super promising! It makes me feel like I’m going to start an epic and dramatic journey. Could that be true? Am I imagining things?
And this is still Grindcore, but don’t worry. It’s some of the most furious, loud, and merciless bloodbath you’ll have this year. Mass Extinction feels like the world is exploding in one giant volcanic eruption. Things happen at insane speed. Everyone is definitely on bath salts because the attacks here are brief and frantic. Blink once and you miss it. You’ll need to put it on again just to identify the truck that hit you.
Imagine the aggression of Benighted with the brevity of Napalm Death. This album lasts less than your paycheck. No track reaches the two-minute mark; if anything, I try to imagine it as one single long song, because without the pauses, it could all be just one enormous blast that somehow doesn’t numb you thanks to its directness. If any release this year embodies its artwork perfectly, it’s Rotten Sound—pure hardcore, unbelievable violence. Yet nothing is perfect in this world.
Well, the album isn’t going to win any poetry awards or give you too many emotional ups and downs. It’s an adrenaline-fueled journey that finishes all too soon if you ask me. It’s all fireworks, though I’m left wanting a bit more. I’m even willing to digest the loud production if it meant more minutes of this. As you know, we’re not Grindcore experts, but we enjoy it when it plays with some conventions. Rotten Sound is more of the school of consistency than the school of madness, and that’s fine.
It’s hard to have time to chill out when the year is coming to an end, which is why Mass Extinction comes as a blessing in disguise for those who want to get smacked in the face with rage but can’t sit still for more than 15 minutes. This is exactly what people in a rush need. So, I guess the answer to the opening question is yes—the Finns can deliver here too!
Label: Season of Mist
Release date: December 12, 2025
Website: https://rottensound.com/
Country: Finland
Score: 3.5/5.0
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