Originally formed in 1999 by vocalist/guitarist Daniel Jakobi—who exited the band amicably in 2011—Lay Down Rotten have been churning out steadfast chunks of death metal every couple of years since. These may not be the most innovative releases, but they’ve been unfailingly barbaric, and signing to Metal Blade in 2007 for Reconquering The Pit brought the band a great deal more visibility on the global scene.
Like most European death metal acts formed in the late '90s, Lay Down Rotten’s work bears clear traces of the formative bands that inspired them. Asphyx, Dismember, Entombed and In Flames (particularly their Lunar Strain album) are prominent bookmarks to the band's sound. And if you're at all a fan of unadorned, pummelling death metal, then Mask Of Malice will fulfil all your requirements.
Every song on the album has the same streamlined energizing kick you'd expect from any proficient death metal crew. Timo ‘Borgir’ Claas provides the backbone of frenetic double bass drumming for guitarists Daniel Seifert and Nils Förster to sculpt their furious riffs and shredding solos around, while Jost Kleinert barks out the guttural accompaniments and Uwe Kilian offers an occasional glimpse of his thumping bass.
It's a fact that no-frills, meat-and-potato death metal albums like Mask Of Malice do suffer from shadings of similarity, which, it must be noted, is very different to suggesting they are pale facsimiles of one another. But as much as songs like, "A Darker Shade of Hatred", "Hades Resurrected" and "Nightfall" are all 'different', each with its own floridly psychotic tempo and internally shifting dynamics, the overall feel of the album means one track can often bleed into another.
That's not to say there aren't gems to be found. "The Devil Grins", "La Serpenta Canta" and opener "Death Chain" are all excellent pounding tunes, and the rest of the album contains plenty of mid-tempo and doom-flecked passages to keep things interesting. It's a case of having realistic expectations going in. If you want superbly produced gut-punching death metal you're all set. If you want off-kilter or overtly complex death metal, look elsewhere.
There's something to be said for reliability. Lay Down Rotten have built a decade-plus career by never disappointing their fans, and Mask Of Malice continues in the same vein. It isn't flash, and it isn't groundbreaking, but the band produce authentic and trustworthy death metal that shows due reverence to the genre’s pioneers while still managing to leave a distinctive boot print upon the scene.
(released February, 28, 2012 on Metal Blade Records)
