PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Located in Germany Lay Down Rotten are to release their newest album Mask of Malice on the 28th of February 2012 by Metal Blade Records. This album is the first recorded with their new guitarist Daniel “Kensington” Seifert after Daniel Jakobi decided to leave the band. I am interested to see what his influence has brought to their music.
Pounding, chunky riffs layered under intricate guitar phrases which then switch to thrilling harmonies. The intense vocals and fast relentless drum beats fill the music with a menacing quality.
When the beat kicks in at 4.15 in Dead-Chain it is magnificent.
I was pleasantly surprised and uplifted by Nightfall, which is a short, quiet instrumental on track three. I found it very thought provoking and it refreshed my mind ready for the next track which starts with a fantastic Timo Claas thrash beat and catchy riffs, then the vocals kick in and you’re off.
Mask of Malice has a different feel from the first track Death-Chain and reminded me of Amon Amarth in the way the vocals were delivered and Nils FÖrster and Daniel “Kensington” Seifert’s guitars accompanied them with the
I love the album title for …And Here Come the Wolves, as you would expect it is a powerful track. I can’t seem toadded depth by Uwe Kilian.
Deep low growls and a slight hardcore edge is used in Swallow the Bitterness which has not been so evident in earlier tracks. Each track so far seems to have its own entity and influences. A rippling solo then cuts in half way through the track and sets me spinning off in another direction and yet again when Jost Kleinert’s vocals and riffs smash back in.steer away from the link I have made with Amon Amarth though I personally see that as a good thing; however I want to make it clear I am certainly not claiming they sound exactly the same. It is my own interpretation and I hear other elements that remind me of other bands too, but there is defiantly something unique about this band’s style.
36 seconds into Hades Resurrected I couldn’t help but go ‘oooooooooooooooffft’ stunning groove.
Also the solo at 1.53 on The Evil Grins, words cannot describe how amazing the guitar tones and harmonies are. Straight after you’re hit with another awesome riff and then the beat kicks in, you just have to hear it for yourself!
This album was a feast for the senses, constantly changing and offering new nuggets of brutality and head smashing blast beats. This is metal at its very best in my opinion.
Rating: 10 out of 10
Track Listing
1. Death-Chain
2. A Darker Shade of Hatred
3. Nightfall
4. Mask of Malice
5. …And Out Come the Wolves
6. Swallow the Bitterness
7.Hades Resurrected
8. The Devil
9. La Serpenta Canta
10. The Loss
Band Lineup
Jost Kleinert: Vocals
Daniel “Kensington” Seifert: Guitars
Nils FÖrster: Gutiars
Uwe Kilian: Bass
Timo Claas: Drum
Band Links
