Sunday 16 June 2019

Final Coil - The World We Left Behind For Others


Label: WormHoleDeath
Formats: CD/Digital
Release Date: 12 April 2019

Tracklist:

1. Ash's
2. The Last Battle
3. Scattered Dust
4. Take Me For A Walk
5. Empty Handed
6. Keeping Going
7. Convicted Of The Right
8. Ashes Ashes
9. One More Drink...
10. ...And I'll Leave
11. Imaginary Trip
12. The World We Left Behind For Others

Looking forwards, the next few weeks should be better content wise for me. The last couple of weeks have been a bit hit and miss but that's going to end starting now. East Midlands progressive/post-rock trio Final Coil wrote to me a little while ago about their latest album that's been released with the help of WormHoleDeath. Final Coil's favourite artists range from the likes of Deftones and OHHMS to Pink Floyd and Tool, so let's see (and hear) how "The World We Left Behind For Others" holds up.

Opener Ash’s is an ambient and laid-back instrumental intro that hints at what’s to come. The drums sound programmed during Ash’s but once The Last Battle rolls around, they’re definitely not. What you’re greeted with here is melodic but gritty rock with a hard edge, One that’s definitely in the vain of Tool and bands like Adema and Spineshank initially. I apologies for the nu-metal comparisons here, but those are more relatable thanks to their own progressive elements as opposed to the genre they were lumped into. This a great song nonetheless with plenty of quality guitar and percussion work, as well as the vocals, which are delivered in many different layers and harmonies. 

Musically Final Coil is pretty top notch. The moody opening bars of Scattered Dust are testament to how they can weave different elements into their music without sounding disjointed. They have heavier moments too but their sound is one that is better when it’s subtle. After those two previous longer-players, Final Coil slips into Take Me For A Walk, which is a breathtaking piece of post-rock that lasts little over three minutes and is just filed with so many life-affirming layers of instrumentation. So much so that you’d wish they just went on forever. 

Things get a whole lot more rock on Empty Handed, though don’t worry your little head, it’s not turning “glam” on you. Final Coil are much classier than that. Just listen to those dual guitars! Following that things go in a grungier direction on Keeping Going. I guess it was always threatened given the band’s appreciation for Alice In Chain and to give them credit, it sounds really good. For those of you who only think of Nirvana when grunge is mentioned, you need to expand your minds and check this out. 

The strings create a haunting atmosphere on Convicted Of The Right. The song itself is a more laid back number, with a lot of acoustic elements during the verses especially. Another semi-interlude/short song in the form of Ashes Ashes breaks up proceedings a little. It’s rude to of me to call it an interlude though, I guess I’m just used to longer songs now. There’s a lot to like about it though so don’t worry. Electronics and subtle noise make themselves heard on One More Drink…., which is an instrumental interlude. It leads you into the final trio that get longer and longer in length and therefore more immersive.

The companion song to One More Drink… is …And I’ll Leave and it’s another gritty piece of metal-tinged rock that’s a bit of a throwback. It’s really well written, as are all of their songs and its got a great maturity. As a penultimate song, Imaginary Trip feels so melancholic. Its actually pretty emotional. They leave the big one till last in the form of the title-track. Ten+ minutes of progressive majesty. The instrumental build-up is huge and suggests it’s more than just a build-up. The vocals kick in towards the four-minute mark and their audible and clean delivery is without question throughout.

I’m extremely proud that bands like this exist in the UK, because Final Coil proves the sheer diversity that we have on our tiny island. This album is great and even if you don’t like the more extreme edges of metal and rock, this is a record that you should dedicate your time to. Great work!

You can stream the full record and buy it on CD and also digitally below:-



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