CD Review: Cursed Sails - "Rotten Society" (Rise Records)

Anytime former Woe Is Me members Ben and Corey Farris are involved in a new project, said project is noteworthy. As is the case with Cursed Sails, and even more noteworthy is their debut release Rotten Society. Led by punishing opener “Dead Daze,” one of the better metal tracks you’ll hear anytime soon, Rotten Society is a cacophonous cornucopia of chaotic riffing, strained, scathing vocals and thunderous percussion, a sonic combination that leads to more than a few deafening moments (“Thunderbird,” “Gasoline,” “Chernobyl,” “With Malice Pt. 2”). The surprisingly mellow (well, at least until the track’s latter stages) “The Great Gold Rush” offers a much needed break from the norm on Rotten Society with its refrained leads and toned down vocals. “21” is a standout thanks to a killer hook that just begs to screamed back at the band in a live setting. Sure the songwriting is somewhat frivolous (“Amazing Grace,” “Smart Ass”), but sometimes you have to take the good with the, well, frivolous. In the long run of Rotten Society, it’s a small price to pay for what you get elsewhere on the record.    

Grade: B-

Go Download: “Dead Daze”