Unbounded Terror – Something Is Rotten in Humanity Review
By Mark Z.
Unlike other major European countries, Spain has never been much of a hotbed for death metal, presumably because they’ve been too busy perfecting their paella (holy shit is that stuff good). That hasn’t stopped Spanish death metal bands from trying to make their mark, however, and possibly the first to make such an attempt was Unbounded Terror. Led by guitarist Vicente Payá, the group initially only managed to release one album, 1992’s Nest of Affliction, before going kaput. Vincente went on to be more prolific with his doom/death band Golgotha before eventually resurrecting Unbounded Terror for 2020’s Faith in Chaos. That album turned out to be a nice little pre-COVID surprise, deviating from Nest of Affliction’s Obituary-gone-atmospheric style in favor of something simpler, catchier, and better produced. The follow-up, 2022’s Echoes of Despair, was another enjoyable release that showed Golgotha’s more melodic tendencies bleeding into the Unbounded Terror formula, an influence that wasn’t entirely surprising given that the two groups also share bassist/vocalist Andrew Spinosa. Now, Vicente has somehow found time between all the fucking projects he’s involved with (including Holycide, Sons of Cult, and a bunch of other stuff I’ve never heard of) to unleash a fourth Unbounded Terror album, Something Is Rotten in Humanity. That title seems more true with each passing day. But what of the music within?
A lot of death metal released today can be readily defined by which old school band it mainly sounds like (usually Incantation, Autopsy, or Entombed/Dismember). In the case of Something Is Rotten, that band is Monstrosity. Like those Floridians, this album offers death metal that almost no fan of the genre would take issue with. The tempos are fast, but not too fast. The vocals are gurgly, but not stupidly so. The production is balanced and polished, but not to the point that it makes things feel sterile. And the riffs? They’re fine, too.
Initially, the approach works. “Fear of Dying” opens the record like a big greasy fist to the face, with meaty chugging riffs that give way to groaning tremolos before a nice melodic lick bursts in partway through. The Monstrosity comparison is especially apt with this track, but even those looking for a more measured version of Cannibal Corpse are likely to find enjoyment here (and elsewhere, for that matter). “Destiny of Evil” quickly mixes things up with blast beats, gyrating tremolos, a winding solo, and even some raspier vocals, while “Demons in Your Mind” works well enough by using a peppy, mid-paced beat to propel a tightly wound, pig-fart verse riff.
Sadly, it soon becomes apparent that “Demons” seems to have served as the template for most of the six tracks that follow. Other than its cleanly picked opening, “Reviving” sounds far too similar to “Demons,” and it took me a couple of listens to realize that the pause between “Reviving” and “Inside Death” was a transition between songs and not a false ending to the former track. Later songs like “Divine Virtue” and “Believing Again” also have a similar feel to “Demons” but are somehow even less compelling, causing the album’s 32-minute runtime to drag more than it should. Ironically, “The Disappointment” is actually one of the strongest cuts in the album’s second half, with a cruising, groovy swagger that its neighboring tracks lack. The instrumental closer “The Evil Cause” is another standout, as its crunchy and confident main riff at least offers something different. As another plus, the solos of lead guitarist Ancor Ramírez (Holycide) are fantastic throughout, with a rich sense of melody and a glorious feel that’s often lacking in death metal leads.
Overall, Something Is Rotten is a perfectly competent death metal record. It falls short, however, by not being anything else. Other than a few good songs and some great guitar solos, everything here is serviceable but not particularly notable, which is especially disappointing given how many standout ideas could be found on the two prior albums. Ultimately, it’s not bad, it’s not great, but at least it offers a nice break from masturbating to the thought of the next COVID variant wiping out me and the eight billion other naked apes that have infested this planet like a black mold. Sometimes, that’s all we can ask for.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: v0 mp3
Label: Xtreem Music | Bandcamp
Websites: unboundedterror.com | facebook.com/unboundedterror
Releases Worldwide: April 1st, 2025
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