Photo courtesy of Ed Kost
Jungle Rot is a name that is instantly recognizable within the extreme metal community worldwide. Forming back in 1992, Jungle Rot really got their wheels turning between ‘93-’95, when current rhythm guitarist/vocalist Dave Matrise joined and became more serious about the vision for the band.
Having maintained a consistent track record of releases that spans nearly three decades, the Midwest death metal titans are unleashing their 11th studio album, A Call To Arms, via Unique Leader Records this May. Practically since their inception, Matrise has been able to contribute and further advance the ongoing success of Jungle Rot.
“That’s always been our thing though, man, everyone always says the consistency. I started in ‘94/‘95, but the band has been around that long (30 years). It’s pretty scary, but amazing at the same time. Just hitting the double digits, you know, this will be album number eleven. That’s just such a big achievement in itself. It’s pretty remarkable … we definitely made a name for ourselves early on.”
And Jungle Rot have done nothing but strengthen their name over the years. The band continuously reinforce their ability to produce in-your-face, meat and potatoes death metal, album after album. Their merciless attitude, infectious riffs, pummeling percussion, and brutal aesthetic, all come together to make up an identity that is unmistakably Jungle Rot.
“We’re really primitive. We’re the last of a dying breed-not too many left in the real old-school. That’s what (the fans) love about us, that’s what we try to thrive on. You know what you’re getting when you get us,” says Matrise.
Since 2005, the band has operated with core members Matrise on rhythm guitar and vocals, James Genenz on bass, and Geoff Bub on lead guitar. In 2019, the band recruited drummer Spenser Syphers on drums, rounding out the lineup for A Call To Arms.
There’s a chemistry amongst Jungle Rot’s core members that has been honed in and sharpened to a fine point. A level of respect and passion that has undoubtedly led to not only the band’s longevity, but to the massive sound achieved on A Call To Arms.
“I’ve always said the hardest thing for a band is just finding the three, four, five guys that share the same dream and same goal, and if you find that, that’s the magic,” says Matrise.
He continues, “Once we begin writing, everyone locks in, everyone’s in that same mode. That’s what it takes, everyone on the same page.”
After releasing their self-titled Jungle Rot back in 2018 and completing their touring cycle for that record in 2019, the pandemic hit in early 2020. Jungle Rot was in the process of pulling the plug on that album cycle and transitioning into writing mode for the new record, which couldn’t have been better timing.
“We wrote A Call To Arms all through the sickness and it really helped us. It healed us. It passed time, things kept going and the timing was right. It worked out great, we wrote the album throughout the whole pandemic and now things have been lifted and we’re ready to release it.”
A Call To Arms upholds the band’s standards and then some. Jungle Rot’s adoration for old-school thrash remains fully intact throughout “Death Squad” and “Genocidal Imperium.” Alternatively, “Beyond The Grave” and “Haunting Future” hook the listener, and proceed to hammer you to a bloody pulp with mammoth grooves, in true Jungle Rot fashion.
Furthermore, tracks like “Population Suicide” and “Total Extinction” take the band’s death-induced dynamics to a whole new level of heaviness.
Explaining his writing process and methods, Matrise offers, “I get in the bomber mode of writing. I pick up the guitar every day for an hour, hour and a half. Eventually, you just keep going day after day and you get all these changes and it just comes together like magic. You gotta have the riffs first … I have my phone recorder and there’s probably a good 200 on there and listening to them on playback goes a long way.”
He continues, “I grind the whole time. Once I start, I go until I finish, I’m like that. I grind it out. Writing has always been a natural thing for me, I just pick up a guitar and just start writing. Riffs, they just come out, and I know a lot of guitar players are like that.”
Given their band name and imagery, Matrise and the band realize that the themes of war will always be present surrounding their music. However, digging a bit deeper, you discover that many of Jungle Rot’s songs have more personal meanings to the members of the band.
“A Call To Arms seems like it’s about the war, but it really isn’t. It’s about us (the band), the brotherhood uniting. It’s about us together. It kind of betrays what it is, but it really isn’t about that if you listen. It’s about what we’re going through, our battle, staying together and fighting this fight,” explains Matrise.
With A Call To Arms, Jungle Rot continue to persist and advance forward, displaying their unique ability to remain relevant and true to their roots in an ever-evolving musical landscape. As they enter a new phase of their career under the completely brutal Unique Leader Records, Matrise expresses his excitement about the new partnership.
“I think it’s going to be a great work relationship. It’s a new start for us away from Victory. It started around the same time I did. Back when I started playing music, they were around when Erik owned it and they kept going,” says Matrise.
“I watched it grow into a massive label now. A contender, with some great bands on it. Very powerful bands. It’s almost going to be a feeling like when we were with Victory, there’s not too many old-school (bands) on there, so we’re going to stand out again. And that’s what we’re good at, standing out.”
Watch the video for “A Call to Arms” here: