COFFIN MULCH - Spectral Intercession - CD
The highly anticipated debut full-length by this U.K. band. Hailing from Scotland, Coffin Mulch formed in 2018 and quickly set to work on their debut demo, "Coffin Mulch", which was released a year later. Two years later came the "Septic Funeral" EP, both of which have garnered widespread acclaim in the Death Metal underground. Although undeniably a Death Metal band, the quartet come from a diverse musical background, having played in a variety of different bands throughout the years, but started Coffin Mulch to play old school, heavy and pounding Death Metal influenced by late 80´s / early 90´s gods like Entombed, Autopsy, Massacre, Death and Bolt Thrower. They´re all punks at heart, though, and the DIY ethic and aesthetic is just as important to them as the tunes. And "tunes" they indeed have across their full-length debut, "Spectral Intercession". With gutted tones just on the right side of raw and a horrifying intro to set the scene, Coffin Mulch lurch and crunch forward with ominous intent. Each of the album´s eight tracks offers ample proof of the potency of traditional, turn-of-the-90´s Death Metal, especially so, when it´s done with this much passion and intensity. Indeed, no matter the tempo employed (and quite often, the band stick to a headbanging gallop), Coffin Mulch make you feel every mangled riff, every ragged drum-hit, every tortured tonsil... The songwriting may be simple, but it´s not simplistic, and it´s their execution that truly puts over "Spectral Intercession". Nevertheless, they´re not afraid to put a little twist here and there, whether it´s a fleeting (and subtly employed) guitar effect or an intentionally askew transition, and the rare guitar solo really hits with soul-searing aplomb. Or witness the eerie, climactic closer "Eternal Enslavement," where a doomed morass opens up and swallows the listener whole. There´s no shortage of "old school" Death Metal records these days, but it´s rare to find one with such personality that´s unselfconscious and not belabored. Coffin Mulch find that sweet spot with "Spectral Intercession"!