REVIEW: Artio - Soul Rot

ARTIO are a band that refuse to be ignored; since their signing to Slam Dunk Records in 2021 and recent signing with Lab Records, they’ve graced the support slots for alternative scene favourites like AS IT IS, VUKOVI and MOTHICA. They expertly blend genres with vocalist RAE BRAZILL’s soaring vocals and perfectly crafted electronic soundscapes and heavy instrumentals from Producer/bassist IEUAN JONES, lead guitarist ROB ARKLE and rhythm guitarist JAI AKHURT. Their second album Soul Rot is a testament to this. Born from a period of depression and exhaustion, linked to the constant need to ‘perform’ for the algorithm, SOUL ROT is an honest, cathartic, almost spiritual release. 

Often artists are afraid to open an album with a heavy track, but The Devil You Know (feat. CODY FROST) comes in screaming, setting the tone for the rest of the album. Released as the first single from the album, the track is an instant barrage of frustration, self‑preservation, and defiance against a scene that demands compliance and exists through exploitation.  The entirety of Soul Rotting is the repetition of “Please call me back, my soul is rotting”. These were the words BRAZILL sent to a friend during a period of burn out which kicked started the concept of Soul Rot, but the song is presented with the voices of fans after the band requested recordings on their Discord channel. A transitional track so early in the album is unusual but it works so well, with the different accents and inflections of the community that surround ARTIO interlaced with an electronic element, which is almost metronome in sound.

The metronome continues into the third track Bite Down, a further catharsis fuelled sound, inspired by post top surgery euphoria, with this being the first song written for Soul Rot. Featuring the first screams from BRAZILL on a record, the final breakdown is an incredible release of energy and intensity that cuts straight through the noise. The second track on the album to have a feature, Full On Fight For Fun (feat. AS IT IS) sounds like a beautifully powerful love song at first; pop punk in delivery, obviously influenced from the inclusion of PATTY WALTERS and BEN LANGFORD-BISS, but this is not about a romantic partner, RAE has stated it’s all for their sister, which makes the track even more beautiful with lyrics like “We’ll drench the old house in gasoline/Haunt these halls just you and me”. 

If Only They Had More Chance To Take Flight (feat. CJ of LOVE RARELY) is another track with a powerful feature. Leeds local CJ lends their vocals to the track about the exhaustion and patronising nature of being part of an industry that always wants more and more from you as an artist. The track is the second shortest on the album, after transitional number Soul Rotting; which feels like a middle finger to the industry as shorter tracks don’t usually get the air play or the audience that the longer tracks do as they are out of the norm. We all know how the world is a hellscape for many reasons but across the globe, the trans community is under constant attack. O Negative was written by BRAZILL after a TikTok they posted ended up on the wrong side of the app; which meant they were met with the most disgustingly hateful transphobic vitriol from absolute strangers. It’s an honest and heartwrenching track; you can hear the emotion in BRAZILL’s voice as they sing and as much as it’s an incredible song, it’s a difficult listen. 

We are treated to another incredible feature in Seven Suns (feat. KAHAL), a song which relies heavily on spiritual references. Lyrics like “No more ripping up of razors with ballpoints/ ‎Spiralling into the void” hits heavy for any listener who has ever struggled in certain ways; the line will send goosebumps down your arms and a shiver down your spine if you can relate. KAHAL’s inclusion adds an almost hidden background to the track, as if they are the false god that RAE is tired of praying to. Soda returns with the densely crafted electronic soundscapes producer/bassist IEUAN JONES expertly provides; and whilst it is another great track, it doesn’t quite land as heavily and passionately as the tracks preceding but is a shining example of the extent of BRAZILL’s vocal range. 

In contrast to the unguarded and ache-laden delivery of O Negative, Let it be a Void throws the hate back to the source with a middle finger and a reminder that “‎We all end up in the same place in the end”. It’s brave and transparent, a sharp and incisive statement, that intertwines fury, detachment and self preservation into something freeing. Incision Site features some welcome backing screams, along with harmonised vocals and repetitive electronic sounds, with more soul metaphors. RAE’s more gentle vocals close out the track, which gives the feel of an end of album track, yet there is still more to come. 

Vertebrae is another powerful and honest track; presenting a stark, unfiltered look at the emotional weight of watching everything come undone around you, as it happens, and being mostly unable to stop it. The track is another look into BRAZILL’s frustration at their creativity being demanded of them and sets the boundaries of what they are willing to deliver. Death Stems (feat. goodnighttheskye) is the final track with a feature on the album and it delivers, heavily. The spoken-word delivery of Leeds-based poet goodnighttheskye features the themes of the album; the deep seated rot and the energy-leaching of a music industry that demands a constant presence and the everlasting churning of creative pieces. The closing line of ‘For I am all I know, and there is nothing wrong with me’ hits the listener with the reminder that though the world is on fire, they are only human.

Algae Bloom again features the themes of blooming and rotting in tandem; delivered by BRAZILL’s softer vocals and heavy backing from JONES alongside lead guitarist ROB ARKLE and rhythm guitarist JAI AKHURT, featuring an incredible play of words with ‘You call love, I call it necromantic’. Closer Room Tone delivers a similar power that opener The Devil You Know (feat. CODY FROST) introduced the album with, accompanied with images of a spiraling world that is being fought against, with intersplined vocals finishing each other's sentences. BRAZILL’s strong vocal range is perfectly showcased in this closing track, which ends the album with the listener wanting more, which let’s face it, is what we always want. 

Soul Rot is an album rife with catharsis; it is deeply honest and raw, discussing the constant battle to perform for the algorithm whilst keeping boundaries and choosing your own path without apology. The album is just the start for what ARTIO have ahead of them for 2026; it’s confident but intimate and delivers a message to remember your humanity.  

Score: 9/10

Soul Rot is out on 21st January via LAB Records

Words: Lou Viner-Flood

Photos: Artio