Angry Metal Guy<p><a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/cabal-everything-rots-review/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Cabal – Everything Rots Review</a></p><p><i>By Dear Hollow</i></p><p>The struggle between viciousness and velocity is a storied one in the realm of deathcore, and <strong>Cabal</strong> is no exception in its battle between tone-abusing slogs and blazing blastbeats. Enacting a blackened deathcore attack that neglects orchestral atmospheres and paper-thin symphonics in favor of thick filth that covers every surface lead and fills every chugging crevice, it flaunts an arsenal of blackened chord progressions that lend a horror appropriate to its occult theme. The band has nevertheless toiled between the trenches of stagnation and devastation. Four albums in, expect filthy chugging aplenty, dark electronic flourishes abound, and a tasteful array of guest vocalists, all in service of a darker power. Business as usual.</p><p>In spite of its unmistakable filth that separates it from the likes of <strong>Lorna Shore</strong>, <strong>Worm Shepherd</strong>, or any of the other Deathcore <strong>Borgir</strong>s of the world, Denmark’s <strong>Cabal</strong> has a bit of a rollercoaster of a discography since 2018. Debut <em>Mark of Rot</em> was a simultaneously too-clean and too-dirty blend of down-tempo deathcore with blackened flourishes and a sterile djent guitar tone. 2020’s <em>Drag Me Down</em> amped the tempo with an unfuckwithable cutthroat quality that kept things fresh and brutal with spotlights of guests from <strong>Polaris</strong>, <strong>Møl</strong>, and <strong>Trivium</strong>. 2022’s <em>Magno Interitus</em> amped the tone with a lightless and mammoth foray into dark electronics that kept things interesting, although its more experimental pieces damaged its consistency. In this way, <em>Everything Rots</em> more seamlessly incorporates it into an over-the-top and absolutely relentless deathcore romp caked with <strong>Cabal</strong>’s suffocating trademark filth.</p><p></p><p>Like “Tongues” or “Demagogue” from <em>Drag Me Down</em>, <strong>Cabal</strong> manages to balance its absolutely crushing weight with a tasteful novelty in <em>Everything Rots</em>. While you’re guaranteed to be bludgeoned by breakdowns infused with the weight of <em>Magno Interitus</em> and pulverized by Andreas Bjulver’s husky roars, a heavier usage of blastbeats adds to the frenzy and the guest vocals add a dosage of well-placed freshness, not unlike <strong>Aborted</strong>’s latest. Injecting a hardcore call-out badassery (<strong>Viscera</strong>’s Jamie Graham in “No Peace;” <strong>Nasty</strong>’s Matthi Odysseus in “Unveiled”), rapid-fire groove (<strong>ten56.</strong>’s Aaron Matts in “Still Cursed”), and thick brutality (<strong>Aviana</strong>’s Joel Holmqvist in “Stuck;” <strong>Distant</strong>’s Alan Grnja in “Beneath Blackened Skies”). “Sort Sommer” (featuring hip-hop/punk duo <strong>Fabräk</strong>) has the same feel as “Blod af Mit” from <em>Magno Interitus </em>in its sudden embarrassment of nu-metal riches, but has been safely relegated to bonus track this time around. <strong>Cabal</strong> utilizes novelty as a reprieve to the relentless density that comprises its more straightforward pieces.</p><p>What’s consistently refreshing about <strong>Cabal</strong> is that their deathcore novelty is bolstered by a smart songwriting style that balances the meatheaded and the menacing. The best songs are those that are securely <strong>Cabal</strong>’s – in spite of the army of guests elsewhere – from the sweet placements of icy blackened chord progressions to mammoth breakdowns (“Everything Rots,” “Hell Hounds”). Compared to its predecessor, <em>Everything Rots</em> returns to what the band does best: being completely unhinged. It’s all about adrenaline-pumping intensity, pure gym-core, unshakeable groove populating its digestible tracks with a cold and intense melodic template (“Redemption Denied,” “End Times”). The electronic influence is far less jarring, adding a surreal pulse in addition to (instead of in replacement of) the deathcore intensity (“Forever Marked,” “Snake Tongues”).</p><p><em>Everything Rots</em> will not sway your opinion on deathcore. It’s a meatheaded foray with enough chuggy breakdowns, brickwalled production, and vomitous vocals to kill an adult horse:<a href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/cabal-everything-rots-review/#fn-215019-1" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">1</a> A faster <strong>Black Tongue</strong> perhaps or a more blackened <strong>Humanity’s Last Breath</strong>. But armed with a blackened filth and a vocalist who could pass as his own arsenal of guest vocalists, <strong>Cabal</strong>’s got a trademark sound and a great interpretation of it. It’s a return to form for a band known for its balance, thanks to a cutthroat intensity that recalls the grandiosity of Drag Me Down. Dwelling in hell-scraping tone worship and tempo ignorance only when it benefits its occult aims, <em>Everything Rots</em> is a suffocating listen, smartly designed with necessary reprieves, with a must more tasteful electronic presence. It’s a brutal blackened deathcore album without all the symphonic bullshit. Deathcore fans rejoice!</p> <p><strong>Rating:</strong> 3.5/5.0<br><strong>DR:</strong> 4 | <strong>Format Reviewed:</strong> 320 kb/s mp3<br><strong>Label:</strong> <a href="https://www.nuclearblast.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Nuclear Blast Records</a><br><strong>Websites:</strong> <a href="http://cabalcph.bandcamp.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">cabalcph.bandcamp.com</a> | <a href="http://cabalcult.com" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">cabalcult.com</a> | <a href="http://facebook.com/@cabalcph" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">facebook.com/@cabalcph</a><br><strong>Releases Worldwide:</strong> April 11th, 2025</p><p><a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/2025/" target="_blank">#2025</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/35/" target="_blank">#35</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/aborted/" target="_blank">#Aborted</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/apr25/" target="_blank">#Apr25</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/aviana/" target="_blank">#Aviana</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/black-tongue/" target="_blank">#BlackTongue</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/blackened-deathcore/" target="_blank">#BlackenedDeathcore</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/cabal/" target="_blank">#CABAL</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/danish-metal/" target="_blank">#DanishMetal</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/deathcore/" target="_blank">#Deathcore</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/dimmu-borgir/" target="_blank">#DimmuBorgir</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/distant/" target="_blank">#Distant</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/electronic/" target="_blank">#Electronic</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/everything-rots/" target="_blank">#EverythingRots</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/fabrak/" target="_blank">#Fabräk</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/hardcore/" target="_blank">#Hardcore</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/humanitys-last-breath/" target="_blank">#HumanitySLastBreath</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/lorna-shore/" target="_blank">#LornaShore</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/mol/" target="_blank">#Møl</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/nasty/" target="_blank">#Nasty</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/nuclear-blast-records/" target="_blank">#NuclearBlastRecords</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/polaris/" target="_blank">#Polaris</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/review/" target="_blank">#Review</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/reviews/" target="_blank">#Reviews</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/ten56/" target="_blank">#ten56_</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/trivium/" target="_blank">#Trivium</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/viscera/" target="_blank">#Viscera</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://www.angrymetalguy.com/tag/worm-shepherd/" target="_blank">#WormShepherd</a></p>