J-Man Although Finland's Rotten Sound has yet to move me much on a personal level, I've always admired their dedication to crafting balls-to-the-wall grindcore of the utmost sincerity. With 2013's Species at War EP - the band's first release for the Season of Mist label - this sentiment remains as true as ever. Rotten Sound still remains faithful to their furious, crust-tinged style of grindcore, and whilst originality and subtlety aren't very high on their list of priorities, the music still comes across as entertaining for fans of the genre.

Species at War consists of six tracks that will flash before your eyes in just over eight minutes, so it should be immediately apparent that grindcore is the name of the game here. The focus is on crafting short bursts of anger not too dissimilar from early Napalm Death, Nasum, and General Surgery. As such, we're not dealing with particularly original music here, but Rotten Sound does do a solid job at delivering the style with plenty of conviction and power. The EP also sports some absolutely relentless musicianship and a rather murky production, both of which certainly work to the release's benefit.

Rotten Sound does manage to sneak in some groove-oriented portions (particularly in “Salvation”) to keep the EP from feeling too one-dimensional, and while this is certainly appreciated, I still don't feel like Rotten Sound has entered into the 'upper tier' of grindcore acts that are able to craft memorable compositions in addition to conveying a sense of raw aggression. As blissfully violent as Species at War is, there isn't anything terribly memorable throughout its short duration. Species at War is a recommendable purchase for any fan of Rotten Sound, but it doesn't strike me as anything tremendously earth-shattering.