(Here is Daniel Barkasi’s review of the debut album by the Danish band Foetorem, which came out at the end of March through Everlasting Spew.)
Demos tend to be raw glimpses of a band in their yet-to-be fully realized form. Once in a blue moon, you come across a legitimate head-turner that’s further along in their spawning phase than it has any right to be. Such is the case for yours truly and Danish death/doomsters Foetorem. Their three-song introduction in early 2025 was robust, intricate, and absolutely nasty in the most putrid way (that’s good), whetting the appetite for what they might be capable of within an LP.
That time came not too long afterward, with the band being picked up by denizens of all things grotesque Everlasting Spew Records – a home that feels perfectly suited for the wares we’ve heard from the foursome thus far. Incongruous Forms of Evergrowing Rot is the most fitting name of that first full-length effort, and the question of whether they can fulfill their massive potential or sink into the murky swamp is the curiosity of the day.
Unsettling clean guitar passages intertwine with bruising, drawn-out riffs to set a paralyzing, ominous air about “Reeks of Moldy Guts” to begin proceedings. The vocals resonate in a deep, rumbling tonality, as swirls of muscular, chugging death metal rhythms pummel all within reach. Not unlike acts such as Krypts, Foetorem manage to mix gratuitously heavy instrumentation within a mysterious aura that forms a multi-faceted and consistently intriguing sound profile.
Harkening back to their demo, all three of those tracks are presented as re-worked versions, tightened up with added dynamics and increased tension. “Oozing with Pustulent Fluids” is a gnarled monstrosity that will rend the listener in ways we won’t even attempt to describe, whereas “Tapestries of Misery” loses the piano intro and instead focuses on the bleak and direct sludge/death assault that’s at the heart of the track. The continuity of the album benefits greatly due to creative choices such as this, giving us a complete and electric overall composition.
If one fancies inexorable slow-to-mid-paced death metal, entries such as “Escalating Rot” and “Decay of the Flesh” have much to offer in terms vicious, grinding guitar work amongst moody atmospheres which cultivate a constant dread that something nefarious is always lurking in the shadows. Additionally, the lead play is a major highlight of Incongruous Forms of Evergrowing Rot, amounting to a driving force in the enveloping disquieting mood that seeps out of every rotting pore. Guitarists (as well as vocalists) Claus and Daniel have it down to a science.
Where Foetorem really hit the mark are on their most unpredictable cuts such as the compelling, overwhelming “Mors Viaturis – the Death Traveler” and its many structural surprises, and the gritty-yet-refined “Rebirth in Morbid Disgust” that begins on a brutally violent spree before abruptly allowing a dismal, foreboding semblance to take over. The transition points traverse through different extremes of each train of thought, the contrasting approaches ultimately forming into the pièce de résistance of the record. The drumming of Geistaz is a focal point in dictating these differing strides, whilst the kiss-stealing, wheelin’ n’ dealin’, limousine riding, jet flying, son-of-a-gun bassist Ric lays down thick earth-shaking rhythms that probably cost more than my house.
Photo by Alice Mingotti
For those who bemoan the extended duration that many bands part of the doom genre present with their albums, they’ll be giddy to know that Incongruous Forms of Evergrowing Rot barely eclipses the 40-minute mark when it’s all said and done. Truth be told, the high level of merciless, pounding punishment that Foetorem administers is best suited for a compact, lean package so as to emphasize both the eerie ambience and the hideous barbarity on offer. The mix has plenty of sandpaper without sacrificing clarity, boasting a scrupulous balance that allows the songs to wade in grime-infested waters while avoiding the pitfall of muddied tediousness.
Foetorem walk a tightrope between ripping, squalid death metal and baneful doom metal devoid of benevolence. What makes them and their debut full-length stand out is how attentively they tend to the most minute elements of their song structures, enhancing the numerous towering and hard-hitting moments, as impactful as can be mustered. The frightening thing about Incongruous Forms of Evergrowing Rot is that as complete and effective as this album is, Foetorem are still digging ever deeper into the fertile ground of their burgeoning capabilities.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Foetorem/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foetorem/
Bandcamp: https://everlastingspew.bandcamp.com/album/incongruous-forms-of-evergrowing-rot