Swamp Coffin from Rotherham are set to release their debut EP Flatcap Bastard Features on 23rd August. We've been lucky enough to hear it today and it is certainly one to look out for next month.
The first track 'Blood in the Water' sets the release off to a sludge-drenched stonery start. Drum cymbols are punished and guitar riffs soar with an uplifting tone. It's a tone I didn't really expect from a band named Swamp Coffin and it reminds me of Weedeater in their earlier days. Then the gutteral vocals and backing-vocals kick in. I realise this band has so many ideas up their sleeves, they are their own entity entirely. One of my favourite parts of the track is where Vocalist/Guitarist Jon mentions the 'Children of the Slime.'
'Annhuus' builds on the foundations of the previous song with pounding, metallic drum fills layered around impassioned sludgey guitar and bass. It's unrelenting. Another surprise is thrown into the mix when the upward momentum takes a backseat in favour of death metal twangs and a mental guitar solo.
Track three 'Black Shirt, Blacker Sabbath' is not simply Black Sabbath worship. What you get here is gutteral chants from start to finish and riffs upon riffs upon riffs. As the track progresses it sounds like the whole structure of the song begins to deconstruct itself, almost reversing where it was taking us all along. If you're looking for a varied and highly creative slab of doom that takes you on a journey, this is the stand out track on the EP.
Finally, we have ‘Last of the Summer Slime’ at a massive 11 minutes 25 seconds long. After everything that came before, I couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. Whilst it’s catchy and bound to get crowds headbanging along, the length and repetition seems out of place.
All in all, Swamp Coffin announce their arrival in an impressively genre bending manner that does not scream of your typical sludge band. I’m really looking forward to seeing their performance at Doomlines V this Sunday in Sheffield.
You can pre-order Flatcap Bastard Features on Bandcamp now: https://swampcoffin.bandcamp.com