Rot In Hell - Niu 12"

Like most of my bands, I was introduced to Rot In Hell through a label sampler somewhere or another. I can't really remember what track it was, but it certainly made an impression on me. For those that don't know, Rot In Hell are just about the best band metallic hardcore band out of England right now. Everything they release is pure gold, and this is no exception.

This release is called Niu, and is a one sided 12" soundboard recording of a rather exclusive live show and for a live recording, the quality is superb. Rot In Hell play six songs that are a mix from "Hallways Of The Always", "As Pears Before Swine" and Erebus which is on the recently released split with Integrity (which still hasn't bloody arrived!).

There are several aspects of this recording that would have made the show really outstanding. The first is how well the band play. The mark of a truly talented band is being able to reproduce the sound on an album live, and these guys are definitely up to the challenge. But what really stands out is how Rot In Hell don't go through all the shit that bands normally do. They don't say who they are when they get on stage, don't "warm up" the crowd with pointless antics and hell, they don't even say the names of the songs they are playing. They are just there to play their music, and they do a damn fine job of it too.

Anyway, onto the actual record. It comes packaged in a glossy black jacket with some pretty choice artwork printed on the front, and nothing on the reverse side. 

The vinyl itself is again black, but is only one sided. The other side features the process logo as the label, and is probably the sleekest looking thing under the sun.

It also came with a rather small insert which gives details about the recording. On the reverse side is a picture of what I take to be a rib cage with the track names written underneath. For some reason, the picture looks really low resolution. I don't know if that is meant to be technique or what.

In addition, I also received a digital download code so I can listen to this wherever I go! If physically owning music aint your style go get yours.