War Zone

Jungle Rot won't go down in history as the most original or innovative band in the world, but those who fancy American-style, thrash-minded, non-Scandinavian death metal with a late '80s/early '90s mindset can appreciate the fact that they generally provide solid, if predictable, albums, and Warzone is no exception. This 2006 release doesn't break any new ground for Jungle Rot (not that any longtime fans expected it to), but the Midwestern combo continues to sound enjoyably focused 11 years after its formation. And that is admirable, considering all the personnel changes that Jungle Rot has had along the way. On Warzone, lead singer/founder/guitarist Dave Matrise is the only remaining original member; bassist James Genenz, guitarist Geoff Bub, and drummer Neil Zacharek are more recent arrivals. Regardless, Jungle Rot still sounds like Jungle Rot, and that means having an unwavering devotion to the Los Angeles-based Slayer as well as Death and other Florida death metal outfits that emerged in the late '80s and early '90s. It also means that Matrise remains one of death metal's more understandable growlers; on Warzone, one can generally understand the dark, morbid lyrics coming out of Matrise's mouth without consulting the lyric sheet. A frequent complaint about death metal (as well as black metal) is that so many of the vocalists are not understandable, but Matrise has a deep, guttural, demonic-sounding growl that does not render the lyrics indecipherable. Warzone is unlikely to win over anyone who heard previous Jungle Rot albums and wasn't converted, but die-hard fans of their made-in-the-USA approach to death metal will find this 31-minute disc to be a worthwhile (although brief) addition to their catalog.