Lessons In Musical Progression From The Rotted

The Rotted

Metal fans can be incredibly precious when it comes to their favourite bands. Whereas in the realms of pop music a performer is gazed upon with wonder when their record company forces them to “re-invent” themselves, anything greater than a slight shift from their original core values can cause metal fans to abandon their once favourite acts.

Although it might seem petty, this is acceptable to a point. It’s only fair that in the relationship between band and follower that the artists maintain the same essence that drew those people to being fans in the first place. Like it or not the first few albums are almost a contract between the band and their fans; a statement of intent declaring who they are and what they’re about. So it’s no surprise when a band moves their boundaries that fans shout their opposition. It’s fair to expect a Megadeth album from Megadeth, not a venture into radio rock.

A band like Slayer, for example, established themselves as a heavy thrash band in their early albums and that’s how it has stayed. They have developed, but not by changing their style completely. They’ve always been heavy thrash but their song writing skill has improved, creating a better more rounded version of their core style. As a result Slayer as one of the biggest metal bands in the world has remained a constant.

There is another way, however, to appease the masses while still allowing a band the ability to diversify, and The Rotted have it exactly right.

Ben McCrow - Vocals

Last year, Gorerotted, one of Britain’s best goregrind/death metal bands, hung up their meat cleavers and ended an 11-year career. Their interest in playing brutally heavy death metal, as they had done so well for their entire career, had lessened and departing members meant that upon entering the studio to record what would become Get Dead or Die Trying, Gorerotted, as known to the fans, no longer existed. Their style had changed and the band had now progressed into a more straight ahead metal style mixed with only dashes of death.

Their new material no longer akin to the Gorerotted sound, the band only saw it fair to leave the legacy unchanged and start fresh with a new name. The Rotted, a new band containing the only remaining parts of Gorerotted, continued in its place. Although it was met with some bemusement initially, the choice should have been praised from the outset.

Choosing to maintain your band’s legacy by calling it to an end when you want to separate from a previous style ensures nothing is tainted and means the band fans loved is crystallised and untarnished. Although people can decry the new direction of The Rotted they can never take anything away from Gorerotted. It’s exactly the right way to do it.

Metal world take note.

The Rotted interview on MetalStorm.ee about the name change

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Should bands ever change their style? Is it wrong that bands are chastised for changing switching genres? Do you agree that The Rotted did the right thing by ending Gorerotted? Tell The Axe below…