Coffin Mulch - Spectral Intercession

Labels: At War With False Noise/Darker Than Darkness Records/Dry Cough Records/Gurgling Gore/Memento Mori

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 30 Jun 2023

Tracklist:

1. Spectral Intercession

2. Into The Blood

3. Mental Suicide

4. In The Grip Of Death

5. Fall Og Gaia

6. Gateway To The Unseen

7. Infernal Mass

8. Eternal Enslavement

When a death metal band comes along featuring members/ex-members of bands from outside of the genre, there's reason to be intrigued and excited. Gathering musicians from doom/sludge bands Age Of Taurus (previously reviewed here), Backstabber, Forever Machine, as well noisecore act Seppuku and Tetsuo (whom I don't know much about), you'd be forgiven for not knowing what to expect. Spectral Intercession was released in mid-2023 and is the band's first full-length, following a demo, an EP and two singles since their formation in 2018. They landed on my radar thanks to Dry Cough Records, who released the album on tape.

The weirdness starts straight off the bat thanks to the intro of opener ‘Spectral Intercession’, which after bizarre screams and noise descends into a whirlwind of old-school death metal of the thicc riff variety. Not overly fast tempo-wise and with a solid low-end, it grabs your attention with ease. Coffin Mulch carry the momentum of their album opener forward with ‘Into The Blood’, which doesn’t break for breath until the mid-way point when it flips from driving up-tempo death metal to sluggish doom/death. It’s absolutely glorious and the screeching guitar mini-solo towards the end caps the listening experience off perfectly.

Being a huge fan of doom/sludge and powerviolence, I like those low riffs that shake everything right to the core. The sort of riffs that open up ‘Mental Suicide’ then! They set the scene for what’s to come, even if that is unexpectedly blasting. The percussion is much more prominent here, providing not just a backdrop but a lead for the rest of CM to follow. ’In The Grip Of Death’ closes out the first half of the album with some truly epic OSDM that refuses to hang around. It’s over very quickly but there’s still plenty of musicianship throughout it’s sub two-minute playing time. 

The second half of Spectral Intercession rolls around with ‘Fall Of Gaia’ and it couldn’t be better. A constant barrage of top-tier UK death metal is all that’s required and Coffin Mulch deliver in spades. The buffeting intensity of ‘Gateway To The Unseen’ and the occasional use of vocal reverb (if I’m hearing things correctly) give this song a much more crusty feel, though it is subtle. Obviously, I get that how we hear and interpret music is subjective (I’ve said it enough times here before already), so you definitely should decide for yourselves. 

Penultimate song ‘Infernal Mass’ gives off complete doom/sludge vibes early on before Coffin Mulch once again launch into hyperspace, without the need for a drum machine(!), while allowing the lead guitar to shine once more amongst the chaos is perfect this late on in the album. Closer ‘Eternal Enslavement’ is the lengthiest song by some margin on Spectral Intercession and it’s everything you hoped it would be. Stark spoken-word samples, slow/low riffs, upbeat percussion and those now customary harsh vocals come together to offer an even greater old-school feel.

As the current “new wave” of UK old-school death metal grows it’s tentacles, Coffin Mulch stand out in the darkness. Expertly performed throughout, this album is both visually and musically up there with the very best in the genre right now.

You can stream and purchase Spectral Intercession digitally, as well as on limited edition vinyl from Coffin Mulch below:-

Coffin Mulch - https://www.facebook.com/coffinmulch

Physical copies can also be purchased on tape from Dry Cough Records below:-

Dry Cough Records - https://www.drycoughrecords.com/product/coffin-mulch-spectral-intercession-cassette-dc73

At War With False Noise - https://awwfn.bandcamp.com

Darker Than Darkness Records - https://www.facebook.com/profile

Dry Cough Records - https://www.facebook.com/DryCoughRecords

Gurgling Gore - https://www.gurglinggore.com/

Memento Mori - https://www.facebook.com/memento.mori.label