Coffins have been
punishing our eardrums with the poisonous mixture of sludge/death/
doom/crust for as much as 17 years, having released 4 LPs and a
decent mount of splits and EP’s. The Fleshsland is the band’s
first full-length effort over the last five years, and it was
definitely worth the wait. Disgorging extremely slow, down tuned to
ferocious degree and blatantly sick death doom occasionally boosted
by thick sludge riffs, Japanese quartet have been providing source
of inspiration for a plethora of new bands, including
highly-acclaimed formations like Electrozombies and Freakhate. It
seems their writing process is about as slow as their music as the
band has not been very prodigal of full-length stuff over the last
years, but what the band stresses is quality over quantity in an era
where recording an album can easily be done at home.
“
Here comes
perdition “ starts the album from a slow note, evoking the
atmosphere of dilapidated asylum infested with hellish abominations
ready to consume everyone reckless enough to dare venture into such
place. The track starts with a heavy crawl, slowly evolving into mid
paced monstrosity and perfectly incorporating all elements what the
band has been so favored throughout its existence. A slow solo breaks
the party closer towards the end of the song, however fades quickly
giving the driver seat to the sick riff fest. This pace transitions
well into the neck-wrecker
‘Hellbringer’, which
demonstrates the band’s capacity to incorporate
curst punk
elements into their vibes.
Where Coffins truly
excel is when they trudge through songs at a grueling mid-tempo
march.
‘The Vacant Pale Vessel’ is the highlight of the
Japanese quartet’s fourth album. Guitarist Uchino often forgoes any
lead playing, but textures the pummeling sludge with simple, yet
effective leads to accent the unforgettable riffing here. The solo
section in this death/doom rocker is bluesy, showing that not
everything about this band is ugly and gritty.
Much has changed in
the band since the release of Buried death.
Fleshland marks
the first appearance of the group as a foursome. Ryo had been
handling the drums since 2010, but has abandoned this position taking
center stage as a front man. His guttural approach is a welcome shift
from the Uchino’s more yelping style, who in turn had retired from
the double responsibility of a frontman/axeman continuing to wield
guitar with even more efficiency.
In terms of
production, Flesh land is the pinnacle of excellence beyond any
reasonable doubt. Maintaining crystal clear sound but yet retaining
the rawness/ basement touch is how I can describe what I have
heard here. The drums no longer sound like digital samples and the
cymbals resonate well and perfectly squeeze through the massive wall
of sound erected by other instruments.
To sum everything up,
I do believe that I have just listened to the best material the bands
have produced so far. Retaining the face of their own by making no
alterations to their sick style, the band continues to be the in
forefront of Japanese metal scene. Unwavering, the four have merely
set out to write a better batch of songs each time they hit the
studio and nailed it once again. One of Japan’s greatest extreme
metal exports are a prime example of how
time
makes perfect.
P:S
.First person survival horror
Outlast has just hit the
shelves, but has already gained enormous following worldwide with
some gamers describing the game “As the scariest game ever”.
Taking the role of investigative journalist, you venture into
abandoned mental Asylum to check the strange happenings their.
Abandoning Lovecraftian dread and zombie/ghouls themes, the game
shows how well the relatively mundane beings can scare the shit out
of you It doesn’t shame to see you crawl through the wall full of
shit in an attempt to escape hulking behemoth , gladly showcases
scenes of ultimate gore and sickness however retains constant
suspense and unpredictability. But all this does not matter as much
as how well the Coffin’s last offering fits well into the style of
the game: mental asylum, perverted psychiatric organization, piles of
shit and gore and sense of complete helplessness and impending doom-
these are the best words to describe what you will see in the game.
All this is stuffed with immerse brutality and immeasurable cruelty
.
Listening to Fleshland is highly recommended in order to fully
submerge into the game. ))
(Review by Den)
