Rotgut — 24 oz Cantrip Review
Rotgut, an American Black ‘n Thrash n’ rollers band. This Seattle-based band are crawling up from the gutter to unleashed their self-release debut EP, “24 oz Cantrip,” on June 20th, 2025, and promoted by Clawhammer PR.
The First Three Sins, The Summary
The Fourth Sin, Overall Discussion
Opening Blast: Bonemelter’s Sonic Assault
The moment the listener presses the play button, they are greeted by the savage, unrelenting force of Bonemelter. Right from the start, this track blasts open with razor-sharp riffs and relentless, speed-fuelled instrumentation that epitomise pure rock n’ roll chaos.
Genre-Crushing Chaos: Thrash, Black, Crust United
As the journey continues, the next four tracks plunge deeper into a wild blend of intense crossover thrash, black metal, and crust punk. This is no smooth ride; it’s a chaotic collision of raw energy and violent atmosphere. The songs push the boundaries of clarity and chaos, creating a sonic landscape where the lines between genres blur, collide, and explode in frenzy.
24 oz Cantrip is a booze-soaked, black-thrash riot that sounds like it was summoned straight from a cursed cellar buried deep underground.
Cellar Summoning: Liquor, Decay, and Black-Thrash Mayhem
Imagine the thick aroma of old whisky mixed with rotting decay pouring out of a dented steel can. This isn’t just music; it’s an assault on the senses, a wrecking ball of sound that demands to be heard loud. With only five songs spanning just eighteen minutes, it’s a compact storm of chaos that packs a punch. Each song gets straight to the point — raw, fast, and relentless — designed to feed the monstrous, extreme side lurking in everyone.
It’s ugly, it’s dirty, and it’s rotten to the core. These eighteen minutes of pure noise are enough to transform your mood from calm to chaos, offering an authentic adrenaline rush.
Precision Within Chaos: Crafted for Sonic Rebellion
This record isn’t just about speed and aggression. It’s a calculated fruit of art, delivered with execution, precision, and attitude. It feels tight, but it’s meant to be played loud, carefree, and unruly. The kind of music that makes you want to throw your head back, roar along, and unleash your inner rock n’ roll demon.
Raw and Ferocious: Soundtrack to a Back-Alley Brawl
The overall sound is raw and unpolished, giving the impression of being recorded in a sordid alley filled with the stench of old beer and burnt rubber. No slick studio tricks or sweeteners here — just pure, unvarnished energy. Despite this roughness, everything comes together, like a spell cast in a back-alley brawl. The guitar riffs are feral, fast, and dirty — almost bluesy in their swagger but twisted by tremolo-picked black metal chaos. On tracks like Bonemelter and Blood and Cooper, the solos alternate between devious harmonies that sound evil and wild death n’ roll shredding.
It’s a devil’s dance of sound — chaotic but focused.
Devil’s Dance: Percussion That Hammers and Hisses
Rotgut‘s drums are a manic blend of d-beat crust, thrash gallops, and frantic blast beats. They shift wildly but seemingly with purpose, never losing control. The tempo changes are sharp and unpredictable, helping keep the tracks feeling alive and dangerous. The bass lines are aggressive and agile, always forward-driving. They don’t simply follow — it feels like they’re on the attack, especially in slower moments like Under the Scarlet Cross, where the bass lays down a gothic pulse beneath the gloom. It’s a dark heartbeat that keeps the mood menacing yet fascinating.
Nightmare Vocals: Screams from the Underdark
Rotgut‘s vocals are a grotesque stew — scrambled growls, acidic snarls, and gang-shouted choruses that sound like a scream in a nightmare. Somewhere between Lee Dorrian’s haunted growl and Dani Filth’s theatrical shriek, the vocal delivery adds the sense of chaos and evil lurking within the music. The lyrics read like occult horror stories — over-the-top, theatrical, and often hilarious in their sick poetry.
Lines like “Blood of the maiden, blood of the priest…” evoke an image of ritual and darkness, but they also serve as a form of horror folk poetry, adding a twisted layer of storytelling amid the noise.
Occult Poetry: Ritual Lyrics and Horror-Folk Visions
Rotgut‘s EP is more than just a collection of hymns — it’s a cursed spell wrapped in an artefact of art, a chaotic patchwork of rage and darkness. It’s like being punched in the face by a possessed raccoon or caught in a back-alley brawl with a demon. Music that is ugly, filthy, feral, and utterly a fruit of art, a perfect soundtrack for those moments when chaos rules.
Closing: The Last Drop of Rot
As this cellar rite fades to black, we raise a rusted chalice to Clawhammer PR for letting us dive headfirst into the chaos of Rotgut’s 24 oz Cantrip. With the filth still fresh and the noise still ringing, we now descend into the final three sins — and bring this cursed review to its close.
The Fifth Sin, The Memorabilia
The Sixth Sin, The Artwork
The Seventh Sin, Disrelish
Rotgut
FD — Guitar, Drums & Vocals
AX — Bass & Vocals
C19 — Guitar & Vocals