Formed in 2012, ROTEM is a Portuguese progressive blackened death metal project comprised of only one person. His first full-length album "Dehumanization" is a self-described "ode to mankind's ability to destroy [itself]." So with that sort of optimism, anything is possible!

This album isn't an atypical death metal or black metal sound. ROTEM adds a much older style of these genres to make this feels like an early 1990's metal album. The hypnotic and eerie guitar rhythms on "Creating Man" and "Dehumanization" are really the nice progressive touches that this album needs to sound more dynamic and complex than you're run of the mill, chest-beating death metal album. It exhibits the strength in ROTEM's musicianship and ability to create something different.

There are moments where the album gets very clumsy. Like on the song "War Fucking War" the tricky time signature of the song's chorus as well as the barking chorus sound like ROTEM is tripping over himself. Well, they can't all be winners. I also think the bass tone is a little too raw on some of the songs. However well-played the bass guitar is, the sound of is a too unrefined to express itself properly.

ROTEM, being a one-man band, undoubtedly didn't have the best access to professional musical or studio equipment. That being said, "Dehumanization" was not all that bad. You can certainly tell that this release was mixed and recorded by an amateur but ROTEM still sounds heavy and violent in his music. That's the way this music should sound anyhow.

I encourage ROTEM to keep experimenting with styles and never quit being so ferociously upfront with his music.