Coffins - Buried Death Review
by Mark Hensch
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Hearing Buried Death is like exhuming a grave and finding two different sets of bones mixed up in the ground. The third full-length from Tokyo power trio Coffins, Buried is an overwhelming mixture of death metal and doom metal. Topping off this pairing of skeletons is the foul, fetid earth of black metal, the proverbial funeral dust on the coffin cake. When mixed together, the result is an oppressive death-doom offering lower than Hell and several shades darker.
For starters, this is the first CD in a long time which has forced the volume down on my speakers. The production is so dusky and dank it creates a literal mire of sound. Emerging from this aural tar pit are the aforementioned skulls of death and doom metal, though if forced to pick, I would state death metal protrudes further out in the mix.
The first song unearthed is "Under the Stench." Plodding along with massive doom riffs, it works its way into a shambling death metal trot hidden beneath multiple layers of foul distortion. After this, the song shakes off untold centuries of festering and decay by morphing into diabolical grooves. Evil yet energetic, "Stench" is quite the introduction.
Up next is the album's title track, "Buried Death." Though it never speeds past a slow crawl, the song nonetheless employs thunderous grooves and meaty riffs. When such low-end abuse and punishing metal are combined, the result is a dull roar of sound. If "Stench" was the classic shuffling zombies of Dawn of the Dead, then "Death" is in contrast the rabid zombies of 28 Days Later.
"Cadaver Blood" slows the album's tempo again, opening up with the glacial pace of funeral doom accentuated with eerie melodies ringing like tolling church bells. Like a hell hound sniffing out prey, it lurches forward with some dirty riffs before exploding into blastbeat-laden grooves amongst the album's fastest moments.
"Altars in Gore" is probably the album's best song, a torrent of memorable and muddy riffs constantly cascading onto listeners. The bass lines, meanwhile, rattle like chattering teeth, giving the song a jittery, unnerving atmosphere. Add in a patient yet ripping guitar solo, and this one is an unholy feast for the ears.
"Mortification to Ruin" follows this momentum with a sluggish waterfall of ooze. Murky and menacing, its riffs are drenched in noisy feedback squalls which squelch like spreading layers of slime. Never progressing beyond a primitive stomp, "Ruin" is a methodical exercise in death-doom violence.
"Deadly Sinners," however, is a filthy piece of rotten meat, the whole number blazing by like a bat out of Hell. Sounding like a Zombified Motorhead B-side, "Sinners" is what it would sound like if new-era Darkthrone embraced their inner doom.
Up next is "Purgatorial Madness," a slamming number which has riffs as catching as Black Death and as memorable as the horror of a blood red moon. As the song progresses, the tempo takes on a frantic tone, emulating a creature's struggles in escaping its shallow grave. As it nears its nasty conclusion, the song becomes a crusty mosher which is barrels of fun.
Last but not least is "The Frozen Styx," a nightmarish hallucination of a closing song. Its pounding percussion recalls the beat of a frightened heart, while its smoggy riffs conjure images of funeral fog. Standing in stark contrast to the rest of Buried, "Styx" closes the album with a gloomy number fully steeped in purist doom.
Brutish and bestial, this album is an undead version of death metal, slower but more frightening. This one injects just enough savagery and speed into the morass to keep things interesting. Fans of extremely crushing metal - slow, mid-paced or fast - should find plenty of songs they enjoy on Buried Death.
Tracklisting
Under the Stench
Buried Death
Cadaver Blood
Altars in Gore
Mortification to Ruin
Deadly Sinners
Purgatorial Madness
The Frozen Styx
CD Info and Links
Coffins - Buried Death Rating:8.0
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