I’ve been on a bit of a death metal bender lately, and in going through some of my old favorites, I ran across a gem that was a standard in my tape deck back in the day: Jungle Rot’s Skin The Living. Back in 1995, already head over heels with Deicide’s brand of Satanic metal, I got wind of this release and hounded the guys at my local record shop on an almost daily basis until somehow, some way, one of them came through with a copy. So now, it’s time I look back and gush a little….

With a cover that looked like it was straight out of some kind of war / horror movie, I immediately went all in on this thing for days…which later turned into weeks….and in fact, I’m still a fan of the band to this day. In those earliest listens, “Eternal Agony” emerged as the standout, earning more plays than any other track here. And you know what? After seven full lengths, an EP and multiple compilation appearances, this thing still is my favorite from the band, and shows up on just about any metal playlist I make.

The track opens with a slow rumble of guitars, and as the drums begin to ramp up we get Dave Matrise’s huge death growl. Then, at the 30-second mark, everything kicks into full-on death metal glory. The guys have always had this underlying groove to just about every song they have ever done, and it’s there all throughout the short run-time of this track, brought on in waves as the speed and intensity of the crunchy guitars and drum lines ebb and flow. There’s a moment around the 1:20 mark where the song really lives up to its title. As the chaos fades into almost nothing, what sounds like an evil, death rattle slowly builds before that signature death groove returns in full force back to round out the song.

I still have this tape, but of course by now, it’s long since stopped playing, and the case and liner notes are long gone. But hey, we’re in the digital age so I’ll never really be without it. Take a listen below and I’ll bet it won’t leave your head for awhile.

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-Josh