Confined to their own disharmonious moldering humidity and slowly consumed by active decay the collective reek of the four taphonomists who’d command Kolding, Denmark-based death metal band FOETOREM remains as caustic, pungently expressed as expected on this fine debut full-length album. A mangled mingling of grooved, putrid and dramatically struck envision ‘Incongruous Forms of Evergrowing Rot‘ addresses modern atmospheric death/doom metal at its core efficacy, escaping much of the dour accoutrement which weighs down many suggested peers for the sake of titanic ever-creeping riff-driven movements. Robed in bleak atmosphere but committed to a curious balance between dispossessed gloom and at-times moshable movements this first album from the band arrives unusually prepared, capable and considered beyond the norm.

Foetorem formed between members of death metal band Necrotic Ritual and pagan black metal project Geistaz’ika at some point prior to late 2024 when they’d recorded their first demo (‘Demo 2025‘, 2025). Their decay-themed form of death/doom metal was more-or-less set in stoned on the three songs included, and each also features on this full-length, but there are some minor differences between those sessions and the final result such as introductory instrumentation or slightly different arrange. Fans of Krypts, earlier Spectral Voice and Solothus should appreciate the band’s sound outright though there are some unexpected melodic ideas (such as those on “Peeled Face Mask”) included in their work beside the occasional rote groove likely to play better in a live setting.

The mildly dramatic register and atmospheric reach of ‘Incongruous Forms of Evergrowing Rot‘ isn’t fully hinted at on Foetorem‘s demo but the band’s balance of aggression and slow-moving surreal gloom were well forecast. You’ll encounter said atmosphere the moment the album begins via opener “Reeks of Moldy Guts”, a rain-drenched and slowly wandering death/doom metal piece which carves its way steadily. Ingratiating as that first song might be it is markedly different in tone than most of the full listen where aggressive mid-paced and bellowed-out pieces rule the realm. One of the best of the lot is “Escalating Rot”, an imposing ‘Gateways to Annihilation‘-esque presence where their riffcraft is at its most engaging and interruptive.

The juxtaposition of those first two songs really is the best possible foot forward in terms of displaying a bit of range but as I’d pecked through the details was surprising to find Foetorem‘d chosen to insert a few moshable grooves over deeper exploration of doom-borne rhythms on the pass through. Hitting that ~2:47 minute mark on “Oozing With Pustulant Fluids” and balking at the floppy riffs pulled me out of the full listen at least once, losing interest in a guitarist’s rhythm guitar action momentarily. Otherwise you’ll find “Mors Viaturis – The Death Traveler” a doomed enough remedy to said momentum and the bulk of Side A presented with above-average variety, mostly standalone pieces.

For my own taste the biggest standout here is “Rebirth In Morbid Disgust” an almost Funebrarum-esque pusher which explores all the best of Foetorem‘s extremes in one piece, probably the strongest moment of immersive pummel on the full listen thanks to the glowering refrains set throughout. The argument for Side B sublimity only engorges with the inclusion of “Tapestries of Misery” and the discordant drag of its first half. Though I am not sure which vocalist takes the lead on which song I’d appreciated the subtle trade between spitting interjections and the guttural lows of this song, this lends an extra layer of personage to not only this song but helps the full listen to stand out from several others incurring this style of late; Between the chorale graced gut-grabbing ride through “Decay of Flesh” and the tempered melodic movements within closer “Peeled Face Mask” these folks have done well to keep some manner of bright idea, or, different idea within each song through the very end.

It’d be fair to push beyond suggesting potential greatness in the works of Foetorem as it is clear they know what they’re doing and how to vibrate interest within everything they touch. The danger in presenting a death metal record with so many faces is that a lack of cohesion, or, surety of self may be an issue with some listeners accustomed to intent stylistic focus. The sort of melodic black/death sluice which interrupts parts of “Peeled Face Mask” for example is the kind of idea many bands might theme an entire record around but here it is the spear-tipped endpoint for the album, a random breakthrough in service to the song. With this in mind ‘Incongruous Forms of Evergrowing Rot‘ is undoubtedly an above-average, heavily repeatable doomed death metal record which may end up taking a few spins to sink into per its uneven ouevre. A moderately high recommendation.

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