WEEK 144 – JUNGLE ROT

My HeadBangers please welcome from Kenosha, Wisconsin USA the Thrash/Death Metal Band:

JUNGLE ROT

“A Burning Cinder”

“Terror Regime”

Well my HeadBangers what do you think of these guys???!!!  Again I found another band that’s been around a long time, but as usual I didn’t know about them.  So with that being said let’s look at some bio on this fine oiled machine called Jungle Rot, gotta love it:

Jungle Rot was founded in 1992 as a side project by Jim Harte and Joe Thomas, members of the Illinois thrash metal act, Prisoner. The band’s name refers to Jungle Rot, an infection of the skin that occurs in tropical climates. The band recorded their first demo Rip Off Your Face, a fun offering of immature death metal heavily influenced by the likes of S.O.D. and Celtic Frost. Then, they acquired Kenosha-based guitarist Dave Matrise (Num Skull, Nocturnal, Fatal Violence) in 1993. It was not until 1994 when Matrise took over that the band got serious and started to take off. The band refined their style and released their second demo Skin The Living in 1995, which is the year Matrise acknowledges the band began.

After their first two demos, the band was signed to the American independent label Pure Death Records, owned at the time by Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed, where they released their first album, a repackaging of their second demo Skin The Living, in 1996. In late 1997, their second album, Slaughter the Weak was released on independent label Pulverizer Records.

The EP Darkness Foretold was released in 1998 by the small label S.O.D. Records, which was spearheaded by the creator of the underground music magazine Sounds of Death, and featured covers of Slayer’s “Fight Til Death” and Carnivore’s “Jesus Hitler”. The initial pressing of Darkness Foretold came with a limited edition Jungle Rot Comic Book. The next two full-length studio albums, 2001’s Dead And Buried and 2004’s Fueled By Hate were released by Olympic Recordings in partnership with Century Media Records.

In 2005, the current core of Jungle Rot came together when Matrise enlisted the talents of Chicago native James Genenz (Fleshgrind, Avernus, Dead For Days, Reign Inferno, God Dementia) on bass guitar and Geoff Bub (Destiss, Putrid Dissentary) on guitar.  With songwriting duties now shared between the three members, and the bulk of the lyrics being forthwith written by Genenz, Matrise was now able to take his band to the next level.

“Paralyzed Prey”

Touring ensued with bands like Deicide, Goatwhore, Cattle Decapitation, Krisiun, The Black Dahlia Murder, 25 Ta Life, Hate Eternal, Incantation and Vital Remains. In mid-2006, the band released the album Warzone on Crash Music. This recording marked the first album to feature the now current Jungle Rot core of Matrise, Genenz, and Bub. In 2008, they headlined a European tour with support from Warmaster, Downswitch, and Walking Corpse.

The band signed with Napalm Records in January 2009 and released What Horrors Await in June 2009. A European tour with Six Feet Under followed shortly thereafter along with a headlining run across the United States. In April 2011, the band signed with Victory Records and released Kill on Command on June 21, 2011.  On March 19, 2013, Jungle Rot released their eighth album through Victory Records, titled Terror Regime. The band went on tour to support the album with metal groups including Suffocation, Obituary, Broken Hope and Decrepit Birth.

On April 14, 2015 it was announced that Jungle Rot would be playing the entirety of the 2015 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, and performing on the Victory Records stage.

In early 2015 the band played the prestigious 70000 Tons of Metal cruise, and announced via their social media that they were working on their ninth studio album, Order Shall Prevail, to be released later in the year on Victory Records. Pre-orders for the album were announced on May 26, along with the album’s track listing, release date of June 30, and a stream for the single “Paralyzed Prey.” On May 27, 2015 it was revealed that Max Cavalera (Sepultura, Soulfly, Conspiracy) would be lending his vocals on the track “Fight Where You Stand”. On June 29 the official music video for the single “Paralyzed Prey” premiered on Vevo.

On March 7, 2016 Jungle Rot released a video for the track “Doomsday” via Victory Records. The band was also announced as part of the 2016 edition of the Metal Alliance Tour alongside Dying Fetus and The Acacia Strain.

In the summer of 2017, Jungle Rot completed a successful US and Canada tour with legendary German thrash band Destruction and California’s Warbringer, performed in Central America, headlining shows in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Mexico; and announced that they would be entering the studio in January 2018 to record their 10th studio album to be released in mid-2018. It was also revealed that former drummer Jesse Beahler would perform the drums on this new album.

On June 8, 2018, the band announced the upcoming release of their self-titled tenth album. Two singles were released in June 2018: “A Burning Cinder” and “Fearmonger”, the latter featuring guest vocal contributions from Destruction frontman Schmier. The album was released on Digipak CD, vinyl, and limited cassette on July 20, 2018.

June 2018, bassist/lyricist James Genenz was assaulted by a group of individuals during the late night hours outside his place of employment which left him with multiple injuries including a shattered ankle. After 2 surgeries, James was forced to sit out of the entirety of touring for the remainder of 2018 which included a North American jaunt with Havok and Extinction AD.  In the spring of 2019, James regrouped with the band and they hit the road starting in Europe with a headlining tour with openers Ultra-Violence, where the band played through Austria, Slovakia, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain and Holland. Jungle Rot returned to the states and immediately hit the road with Deicide, Origin, and The Absence for another month before turning around and heading back to Europe for a few weeks. During this run Jungle Rot performed headlining shows in Holland, Sweden, Poland, Germany, France, Hungary, Czech Republic and made appearances at the metal festivals Brutal Assault, Party San Open Air, Stonehenge Festival, and Poet Fest. Jungle Rot returned home and performed at the Full Terror Assault Festival in Illinois and a hometown show before beginning to work on their next album.

Spenser Syphers was announced as the new permanent drummer for Jungle Rot in June 2019.

Due to the Covid pandemic, much of the live activities for Jungle Rot have been cancelled this year. The band has instead finished writing their 10th studio album with plans to record in October and November, to be released by an undisclosed label in 2021.

They have a long history, but I felt I should tell all of it because they earned every fking year of it.  So now are we ready to meet these guys, who play an aggressive style of thrash influenced death metal and are known to slow stomp melodies into their speed-thrash style. Most of the lyrical subjects deal with war, torture, murder, death, and corruption.  Hey what more could we ask for?

Spenser Syphers – Drums (2019-present)

Dave Matrise – Guitars, Vocals (1994-present)

Geoff Bub – Guitars (2005-present)

James Genenz – Bass (2005-present) and Guitars (2004-2005)

 

My Thoughts:

My HeadBangers know I love a band with history and Jungle Rot has history.  I also love a band that sings about problems on this planet with a side order of darker things that plague this world.  Jungle Rot is all that and more. Their videos are excellent, check them out on UTube. Without question love those vocals and when I watch Dave, that face with those vocals I have to admit he’s got them down, oh did I mention the hair yep you all know how I am with the hair, the longer the better.  It does get cold up there in Wisconsin and winter is coming.  Someone please tell me how they came up with this name, it’s driving me crazy.  My hope and wish is that Covid and all its variants will become manageable, I don’t believe that it will ever totally go away.  To many bands, and other jobs, have been affected and we all feel the need to be free again.  To go to that first gig and hear the band and the MetalHeads going wild, I miss it, we all miss it, but it will come.  Some places are already starting to open up and allowing gigs.  The world is in turmoil, an I ask Jungle Rot to keep singing guys, help us get through this mess. You have just added another fan.  

Well my HeadBangers that’s it for this week.  Join me next week for another band and another song.  In the meantime don’t stand to close to the fire if you can’t handle the burn.