The only legitimate criticism I will accept of this blog is that I don't cover enough East Asian metal. That's it. Otherwise, everything I do is perfect (especially my grammatical faculties, which are orthodox and thoroughly and completely standard for an English speaker). So, to placate the small yet valid contingent of haters (who I may or may not have fabricated out of mid-air), here is a little something about a death metal band that I have some affinity towards: Coffins. Coffins formed in 1996 and were one of the first (or at least better known) Japanese death metal bands to make it off the island and find a semblance of a fan base abroad. Their style adheres closely to the old-school blend of rangy, thrashy, grizzly, and gruesome crust-rimmed broth originally ladled out by Tampa area bands like Death and Morbid Angel, and paired with a side order of cavernous, atmospheric menace, reminiscent of the more gothic side of doom metal (but which, let's be clear, never slips into full-on death-doom or the transcendental horror of Hooded Menace). Coffins have over thirty releases to their odorous name, but very few LPs, considering their thirty-year track record of cross-oceanic mayhem. They're better known for their splits and EPs, releasing records in collaboration with acts as diverse as Noothgrush and the aforementioned Hooded Menace. Their latest LP, 2024's
Sinister Oath, is only their sixth full-length release and the second LP to feature current vocalist Jun Tokita, offering his distinctive lower-register gurgle here to deliciously heinous effect. If I had to choose between this record and their last one, 2019's
Beyond the Circular Demise, I might have to go with
Beyond, simply because it's significantly crustier and I'm always game for contracting a staph infection from the music I'm listening to, but the (relatively) cleaner, and far more cavernous quality of
Sinister Oath has a distinct and transcendentally ugly character that is unflappably vile and cogently evil in its portrayal of the violation of the senses and essence of the human subject, and I might therefore recommend it as a starting place for the uninitiated, even if I prefer other records in their catalog- it's that putridly powerful!
Relapse, don't do it, when you want to go through it, Relapse, don't do it, when you want to...
