Originally written by Chris Redar
There’s a fine line between artistic vision and indecisiveness when it comes to peppering elements of several genres across an album. It only takes a couple of missteps to make a body of work feel like an incoherent mess as opposed to a mapped-out experience. And that’s before some poor PR person is tasked with typing up a sticker for an album’s packaging. Is this blackened doom & roll, or is it fusion-induced deathrash?
Indianapolis, Indiana’s Coffinworm is def-
Wait…Indianapolis?
That’s only 184 miles from my house!!Coffinworm succeeds where so many genre-bending acts fail by planting roots in doom’s topsoil and then carefully tilling from from only the most vital (read: hateful to the point of bordering on nihilistic) elements of other genres to reap the filthiest harvest possible. Opener “Sympathectomy” brings the nastiest of death metal leanings in through the barn doors before settling in for a grain silo’s worth of unpleasant grooves; think Soilent Green collaborating with Monsanto and Portal to bring about the most painful breed of seed imaginable.
(This is probably where most readers will be poking fun at those lousy farming metaphors. Go ahead, knock some hilarious zingers out of the park, asshole.)
Being from these parts, it’s easy to understand why a band like Coffinworm would vomit out these levels of hatred. This place sucks, man. Farms, windmills, and bombed-out industrial complexes are the backdrop to existence as a resident of the Hoosier state. So when a band records a track called “Instant Death Syndrome” and punctuates every snare hit with the kind of vitriol generally reserved for final bosses in Mortal Kombat, it almost comes across as a plea for release. A good deal of this material carries with it the weight of this sort of hopeless existence, which lends the experience of IV.I.VIII some emotional impact to accompany the often catchy and memorable riffwork.
Geographical significance aside, IV.I.VIII makes excellent use of background effects. “Lust Vs. Vengeance,” already heavier than an anchor tied around the foot of a despondent sailor, employs an almost spacey swirl towards the back half of the track that hollows out the center of the sound. It’s kind of unsettling following the somewhat aggressive percussion beforehand. This is the kind of thing you usually hear on great black metal albums: atmosphere used to serve the song without becoming the song.
Coffinworm also hit that sweet spot of being tight without being too tight. “Of Eating Disorders And Restraining Orders” is a largely linear seven-plus minutes that meanders into stoner territory without getting too Bongzilla-ish for its own good. Without fawning too much, they fuckin’ nail the riff here AND keep an interesting pace for the duration. Certainly not the easiest of tasks, but it’s clear at this point in the album that these lads are in the ‘artistic vision’ category mentioned earlier.
This one’s a rarity. To be engaging for a sit-through is one thing. To be demanding of attention for said sit-through, however, is a feat most uncommon. Even more uncommon than that is the ability to dodge a pigeonhole whilst maintaining a clear path. Coffinworm have a real gem on their hands here. You’d be wise to take notice.
