ROTTON UK: "That is not dead"

HELLS HEADBANGERS is proud to present the highly anticipated debut album of ROTTEN UK, That Is Not Dead. Although pure punk rock is a rarity on HELLS HEADBANGERS, the form ROTTEN UK play - and proceed to uniquely twist to their own design - is actually a variety that inspired many early speed metal and thrash bands: commonly known as UK82, this subgenre was indeed a strain of early '80s UK punk that synthesized the anthemic Oi! style before it with the nascent harder/faster style pioneered by the likes of Discharge, The Exploited, and GBH. With other stated influences that include early Finnish legends like Kaaos and Riistetyt as well as England's Disorder and Broken Bones, ROTTEN UK almost effortlessly create a 14-song whirlwind of dark 'n' desperate ANTHEMS with That Is Not Dead.

The strength of songwriting here is startlingly developed; for music that's usually derided as simplistic and even talentless, ROTTEN UK's vision of punk is a highly dynamic and nuanced one. A good deal of that stems from a gloomy current of anarcho-punk running throughout the record which, when combined with the frequently tribal but always propulsive drumming, lends That Is Not Dead a certain shadowy air of early deathrock. But despite all of the band's musical DNA being rooted in the early '80s, let it be known that ROTTEN UK are no trendy bandwagon-jumpers: prior to this debut album, since 2011, the quartet have released four 7" EPs and nearly as many tapes, staunchly committed to the DIY aesthetic and truly living it.

Now, with the full backing of HELLS HEADBANGERS - who were immediately impressed with the recording the band presented them - ROTTEN UK are poised to make converts on both sides of the punk/metal divide. That Is Not Dead? Indeed, punk is very much alive with with ROTTEN UK!


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Tags:  Rotton UK, UK82, Proto-Thrash, Thrash, Speed Metal

Sevine E. Levine    August 28, 2016