heavy-metal-darkness: Rot Fester | Death Row

Thursday, December 11, 2025

Rot Fester | Death Row | Self-Release

Release Date: November 21st, 2025
Format: CD/Cassette/Digital
Genre: Death Metal
Country: Sweden

Rot Fester formed in Sweden and quickly built a reputation for death metal that stays raw, cold and stripped of decoration. “Death Row” is their second EP, created by a tight four-member line up with a guest vocal appearance by Camilla Tjernberg. The band handled much of the process on their own, with mastering by Dan Swanö giving the whole release a steady punch.

The EP has a rough edge that suits the band’s approach. The guitars keep a cutting pressure, the vocals feel sandblasted and the drumming keeps the music in constant motion. It has the attitude of a band that prefers sweat over refinement. The sound is shaped with care, just not in a way that aims for smoothness. You hear the dirt and you hear the intention behind the noise.

There is a balance between fast attacks and slower, heavier moments, giving the EP some shape without drifting into something grandiose. “Death Row” brings a harsher tone, while “Another Storm Brewing” adds a different voice thanks to Camilla Tjernberg, offering contrast without turning the music into something sugary. The band stays focused, keeps things tight and moves through the material with energy that does not fade.

The release works well as a short showcase of where Rot Fester currently stand. It does not stretch past its limits and it keeps its claws out. There is honesty in this kind of approach, a straight shot from a group that knows how they want their sound to hit the listener. Fans of Swedish death metal will find an EP that stays true to that lineage and carries its own bruised character.

Score: 7.0