Japanese death metal outfit Coffins will have released their latest studio album, The Fleshland, on July 16th. There are two sects of people that will revel in the album. First, we have the folks who think anything coming out of Japan is awesome. Second, we have those who think anything within the Death Metal genre is awesome. Anybody else will look at The Fleshland for what it is. Pure. Simple. Death metal. Of course, one of the most interesting thing about Coffins, is their lack of anything but the most basic ideals in heavy music.
I don’t say this insultingly; I say it as a statement of fact. Coffins bring the idea of no frills metal to the absolute breaking point. No real leads, tons of riffs, crashing drums, and the cookie monstrous cookie monster vocals around. This should be the recipe for absolute boredom. Coffins should be a band that’s so boring, only the purist, most myopic death metal fan, could love them. Instead, Coffins is entertaining, not great, not earth shattering, but fun to listen to. I equate them with a horror movie like Saw. Stupid, brutal, cliché, but somehow still a good time.
The Fleshland opens with “Here Comes Perdition”. Anybody wanting the cliff-notes to this record needs look no further, this is a good overview of what to expect. Brutal riffs, double bass driven drumming, a few quick solo flashes, and a bit of crust-punk speed for good measure. The rest of The Fleshland will have some blend of these elements. Another good horror metaphor is Re-Animator. Coffins take the pieces/parts of their songs, sew them back together in a different order, and then re-animate as a new jam.
“Hellbringer” is “Here Comes Perdition” but with some new limbs and a slower brain. “Rotten Disciples” takes the limbs and ties them together tighter, pumping the brain with Meth. Now we have a fast, punk-fused, and weirdly anthemic tune. The brutal riffs, drums, and cookie monster vocals remain, but reanimated into something a lot more pissed off. “Dishuman” has looser stitching; the monster here plods forward slowly, and then grimaces at the world. No brain here at all, just instinct and bitterness.
As good as they are, Coffins can’t save all their patients. “The Colossal Hole” is an overbearing mess. Boring to the point that it almost derails the entire record. “The Vacant Pale Vessel” is another failure. It sounds too much like the first two jams to let pass. After a five-year absence, Coffins should at least be able to cobble together multiple monsters out of the five or six musical-limbs they allow themselves.
Overall The Fleshland never becomes bigger than the sum of its parts. If you can forgive that due to your love of the Japanese death metal scene, or because you think anything with cookie monster vocals rules, then feast on the maggot corpse of The Fleshland. Anyone who needs a little more in their diet, might not find a lot to chew on here.
