Penny Coffin - Conscripted Morality

 Labels: At War With False Noise/Dry Cough Records/Macho Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Tape/Digital

Release Date: 07 Apr 2023

Tracklist:

1. Ballistic

2. Predator

3. Slowdive

4. Conscripted Morality

I'm slowly making my way through write-ups about the latest releases from Mancunian doom/death label Dry Cough Records (in order of release according to bandcamp because I'm like that!). Conscripted Morality is the most recent EP to come from Scotland's Penny Coffin. It was self-released by the band digitally last April, alongside Dry Cough's tape version and a cd release from At War With False Noise. Later that month it received the vinyl treatment thanks to Macho Records. It's always great to hear what the current (and ever growing) crop of UK death metal bands are spewing out.

It’s been just over a year since Conscripted Morality was released, but a year is nothing really when you think about it. Opener ‘Ballistic’ gives off a bit of false hope initially (title-wise anyway) with a psychedelic intro before Penny Coffin launch into some proper riff-heavy, percussion-led brutality with the cruellest of vocal deliveries and melody that creates a whole different level of atmosphere.

There’s an unnerving undertone flowing through ‘Predator’, though it’s overridden by the groove-laden death metal approach that’s employed here. At times it borrows from modern brutal death metal (Gore House Productions/Unique Leader Records-type death) but it never strays too far from the old-school. I guess it could easily sit on either of those two labels but they’re only used as a reference. 

‘Slowdive’ uses Penny Coffin’s love for harsh noise to rouse and rile up those listening before another round of submission-like OSDM comes out fighting. The low register frequented by the vocals create a hellish vibe, yet when they give way and allow the instrumentation to take over, it feels like you’re in a different realm. Spacey, avant-garde guitar work and time signatures provide the perfect mid-section before Penny Coffin hit the loud pedal once again. 

Closing with the expansive title-track, Penny Coffin leaves you with so much to take in and process, not mentally but musically (and maybe even spiritually). Nearly eight minutes of extremity await in what is their most doom-heavy song on the EP. It shows just how good they are musically, from early intensity to comforting melody before repeated bludgeoning and all manner of warped majesty later on. 

I can try to paint a picture with words but it’s all futile in the end. Listening is one of the great qualities we possess as humans and taking time out to do just that can be transformative. The experience of listening to Conscripted Morality feels just the same. A fantastic EP that deserves to be enjoyed by any extreme metal maniac.

You can stream and purchase Conscripted Morality digitally, as well as a special tape pre-order from Penny Coffin below:-

Penny Coffin - https://www.facebook.com/pennycoffindeath

Physical copies are available from the labels below:-

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

Macho Records - https://machorecord.bandcamp.com/album/conscripted-morality

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

Macho Records - https://www.facebook.com/MachoRecordings

Penny Coffin - ΤΕΦΡΑ/ΣΚΕΛΕΤΙΚΟΣΚΟΤΑΔΙ (Tefra/Skeletal Darkness)

Labels: Dry Cough Records

Formats: Tape/Digital

Release Date: 15 Jan 2022

Tracklist:

1. Smog

2. Bootlicker

3. Confinement

4. Jaws

5. Skeletal Darkness

6. Finality

At the beginning of the year, UK extreme metal label Dry Cough Records released this tape featuring both the 2021 EP Tefra and early 2022 EP Skeletal Darkness from Scottish/Greek death metal band Penny Coffin. Penny Coffin formed in 2021 (or there about) but have already chalked up some serious live appearances, playing with the likes of Hellripper, (recent 20 Buck Spin signees) Slimelord and Vacivus amongst many others. Another huge addition to the ever growing Scottish death metal community!

Today’s brought all manner of strangeness, which must be to do with it being a Wednesday. Thankfully Penny Coffin bring a bit of familiar nastiness with tape opener ‘Smog’. It sounds properly old-school with downtuned riffs, foundation shaking bass, battering percussion and grim vocals that sit within it all. There’s melody and atmosphere too though, but it’s somewhat menacingly delivered. If you thought that ‘Smog’ was a harrowing blast of death metal, then really it was just easing you into proceedings as ‘Bootlicker’ wades in with a much more doom-laden approach that drags the mood down to greater depths. In doing so though, it also shows how adept Penny Coffin are at weaving their influences into their music without merely copying them. I love mournful death metal songs like this.

‘Confinement’ is the final song from the Tefra side of this tape and it’s also the longest of the initial trio, showing that Penny Coffin do doom/death just as well as any Scandinavian band can muster. It’s instrumental for a large part of it’s latter-half with the vocals once again sitting deeper within the mix. There’s a more traditional metal/thrash influence that hits you as ‘Jaws’ begins with it’s higher-pitched leads but before too long, Penny Coffin settles back into a familiar furrow, albeit with a much fuller sound. Slightly more progressive in parts too, but don’t let that scare you if you’re a death metal purist.

The second EP’s title track ‘Skeletal Darkness’ comes next, as the EP makes up the latter half of this release. Again, the melodic dual-guitars create a whirling, all-encompassing sound that whisks you into an illusion of ever-slowing extremity. Penny Coffin do such a great job of the whole slow-but-fast doom/death thing. At times, it kind of reminds me a bit of early Dry Cough band Voe when the accented lead riffs take hold at the mid-section. So good, especially alongside the higher-pitched vocals later on. There’s a heart-racing end to the release thanks to ‘Finality’, that sees Penny Coffin forging one last up-tempo blast and it’s sublime! What a way to end. 

As the nights draw ever darker and the winter of discontent looms larger, music by bands like Penny Coffin will get us through (even if there are power cuts). I know what I’ll be listening to when things go black. Best get my provisions and power banks sorted!

You can stream and purchase Tefra/Skeletal Darkness digitally via Dry Cough below, where a second run of tapes are also available (snap em up quick!):-

Penny Coffin - https://www.facebook.com/pennycoffindeath

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