review: rotheads – Unfazed by Death
bio
Rotheads came together in late 2014 and spent roughly a year shaping their sound before committing anything to tape. That period of steady rehearsal led to their debut demo, Unfazed by Death, a release built around five fully developed tracks from those early sessions and complemented by three brief electronic instrumentals. The two members handled the entire recording themselves in their then‑regular practice spot, a jazz rehearsal room at Bucharest Music University, with Dávid later taking on mixing and mastering duties to complete the project.
After laying the foundations of their sound in that formative period, the band now turns back to where it all began. Romanian death metal act Rotheads will mark the moment with a 10th anniversary edition of Unfazed by Death, due on the 26th of January 2026 on CD through Spain’s Memento Mori, with an independent digital version and a cassette edition following on the 25th of April 2026. The release revisits the band’s earliest material, originally recorded in Bucharest during 2015–2016 by the duo line‑up.
review
I am always up for discovering new bands and so today I have laid my eyes on the name and opened my ears to the sounds of Rotheads from Romania. This is step back in time to their early material, in fact a 10th anniversary edition of their EP Unfazed by Death. Having been in bands myself, it is always interesting to step back in time to early recordings, igniting memories and reliving experiences in your mind. The demo certainly feels like a step back in time, capturing that DIY sound, feeling raw and grimy.
As I listen to the music I almost feel like I am in basement or a dungeon with cold brick walls reflecting the sounds of the evilness that the band emit. It pulls me straight into that old teenage headspace, a Saturday afternoon spent jamming with friends on gear that had already lived a hard life, everything rough‑edged, noisy and full of possibility. This is bar far not polished and pristine but earthy as you can get.
Beyond the instrumental intro, which sets a sinister tone worthy of a horror film, the record plunges straight into a darkness that feels dragged up from the bowels of doom. The bass twangs, riffs and driving rhythms stay deliberately stripped back, offering no thrills and instead committing fully to weight and impact. This approach never wavers.
The production has an airy quality, likely shaped by the room acoustics and the choices made in the mix, and this gives the music a sense of space that suits its mood. Each element sits wide or exactly where it needs to be, creating a depth that enhances the atmosphere rather than distracting from it.
Vocally, the performance locks in tightly with the music. If I had to capture it in a single image, it feels like listening to someone who has rolled out of bed starving and still has not had their Weetabix. The delivery carries that raw edge, with a dirty, throaty character that mirrors the grit of the instrumentation.
I am too use to the over produced and refined modern productions where everything is crystal clear, but here you have the opposite which is a focus on the music, the riff and can Imagine having a blast in that jazz room. There are some moments which cut through well and strike like an almighty axe and those the bits that keep you bubbling along!
Tracklist:
- Intro
- Stench of Death
- Dark War
- Unfazed by Death
- Burden of Sin
- Warding Blood
- Howling at the Galaxy’s Edge
- Outro
conclusion
In the end, revisiting this early Rotheads material feels like opening a time capsule that has been sealed in dust and sweat. It is a reminder of why these rough beginnings matter, because they capture the hunger, the looseness and the unfiltered intent that often gets lost as bands refine their craft. This anniversary edition does not try to hide its age or its imperfections. Instead it celebrates them, letting the grime, the space and the sheer force of the performances speak for themselves. For anyone who wants to reconnect with the raw spark that first pulled them into heavy music, this release offers that feeling in full.