Blast Rites: Archagathus / Rot – Split Review

After a long delay, last year’s Archagathus / Whoresnation split pricked up some ears around these parts – even deservedly making its way onto our best EP / short releases list at the end of 2024. Now we’re kicking off the 2025 run of Blast Rites with another Archagathus split. Like the last one, this one’s been in the works for a bit and only now finding its way into the world, pairing our favorite Canadian mince-geeks with the Brazilian grind legends in Rot.

In the liner notes, Rot details how their half came to be, that this recording actually predates their last full-length, 2021’s stellar Organic. Which, of course, means that these tracks feature late bassist / co-vocalist Alex “Bucho” Strambio, who passed away in April 2021, not long after Organic was recorded but before it was released, so this split is a bittersweet offering. On the more positive side: The liners also mention that there’s another forthcoming split with Yacöpsæ that will feature more of Bucho’s work, so there’s still a little left to come after this… and also, holy hell, a Rot / Yacöpsæ split will be awesome.


With that in mind, it stands to reason that this recording feels very much in line with Organic, which is to say that it sports that album’s stouter production values (comparative to many, rawer, earlier Rot releases), an improvement that adds additional punch to the band’s classic-styled grinding without shining off too much of the rough edges. The obvious touchstone is Napalm Death with some dashes of Repulsion, all simple and catchy riffing, blastbeating, and Henrick’s Barney bellow balanced by Bucho’s higher sneer. From the feedback-fueled introductory barrage of “Fear Will Have Everything,” it’s nothing but short-and-sweet ragers for side one, kids. “The Bitter Taste Of The Past” shows some fun rhythmic interplay between guitarist (and founder and sole original member) Mendigo and drummer Emiliano, while “The End Is Imminent” is driven by a bubbling bassline from Bucho. Organic was (is) a monster of a record, and these new tracks fit snug against it, in every way.

Release date: January 2025. Label: Grindfather Productions / Haunted Hotel
Recorded in 2022, Archagathus’ side is also dedicated to the memory of Bucho, whose legacy and memory deservedly loom large across the whole. Self-declared sons of Agathocles, Archagathus keeps their grinding even more rudimentary than Rot’s old-school aesthetic, turning in a five-minute vomitous blast of relentless mincecore, all jackhammering drums, simple-but-catchy riffing, and vocals that run from gurgles to screams and in between. It’s silly to try to pull highlights from five minutes or so of Archagathus, aside from to say that five minutes or so of Archagathus can often be a highlight in itself, and that’s certainly the case here, so stop thinking too much about your mincecore and just let the spirit take you.

By their very nature, splits can be a mixed bag, so when you land one whereupon both sides hold up their end of their bargain, it’s cause for celebration. Not that I’d expect any less from either of these bands – one’s a legend for a reason, and the other is no newcomer, themselves — but the combination of the two of them, with all new material, on one little piece of wax… well, that’s one of the best things about this rotten new year so far…

Also, a note: The full thing doesn’t appear to be up anywhere for streaming, aside from the two tracks above (one per band), so you’ll have to trust me, but if you’re into this kind of thing, you should know both bands enough to trust them far more than you trust me. Label sites for physical copies are here and here

Posted by Andrew Edmunds

Last Rites Co-Owner; Senior Editor; born in the cemetery, under the sign of the MOOOOOOON...

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