Ever since our head honcho sent me the Coilguns split with Kunz in 2011 I have been hooked on this band whose unique approach to song writing and playing are testament to what can be achieved in extreme music without resorting to too much technical trickery or gimmickry. Seeing the band live in a pub in Leeds was also brilliant and showcased their inimitable and violent stage persona that exhibits their music so furiously well. The groups attitude takes me back to the 80s when bands were plying their wares by releasing EPs, cassettes, seven inches by themselves and recording the music in one day or one take, usually due to money, though Coilguns just do it this way because they choose to. Added to all this the band used to make a lot of their own releases themselves with hand made covers, wax sealing and hand sewn packaging to create a exclusive product for the listener. I own a few myself and they really are exclusive and add more to the buying and listening experience than just the music itself. After three EPs this Swiss band has finally decided to release a full length debut adopting a recording methodology of one take per song, no overdubbing or editing apart from the vocals. The band comprises of drummer Luc Hess, guitarist Jona Nido and vocalist Louis Jucker all of whom also reside in The Ocean.
Listening to this album I was immediately taken aback by the magnitude of the sound which is massive and demonstrates a multi-instrumentalist approach to the song writing which begins with the two part title track and features a plethora of guest musicians. The ambitious tune covers 14 minutes plus of multitudinous riffs that spread through a tapestry of guitar textures and sounds. The first part is prime post hardcore nihilism before the second part transforms the tune into a sprawling and epic amalgamation of dark riffs possessing significant progressive elements as I was reminded of The Ocean and also Cult Of Luna. “Hypnograms” has touches of the “Stadia Rods” EP, being predominantly post hardcore racket with a deluge of drum work that links nicely to the energetic and innovative “Machines Of Sleep”.
Bands of this ilk are always compared to the likes of Botch, Norma Jean and of course The Dillinger Escape Plan with the myriad of time changes and guitar riffs incorporated and “Plug-In Citizens” perfectly exemplifies these references, being aggressive and damn fast too. A slight change in the guitar tone for me is found on “Submarine Warfare Anthem” which bursts into life with a massive hardcore riff from years gone by. Unbelievably “Minkowski Manhattan Distance” has a thrash riff undercurrent burrowing its way through the tune and an immediate throwback to the 80s warmongering thrash scene that had traits of proto-death in its riffs. The song is rabid and ferocious; one to create bedlam when sang live by Louis instigating his crowd fighting which he claims as his role within the band. An immense change occurs on “Blunderbuss Committee” with a semi acoustic guitar menacingly approaching the listener. The atmosphere will send a chill down your spine guaranteed then scare the shit out of you with “21 Almonds A Day” which also has a different style to it, just more aggressive in the spirit of post-hardcore and even the pretentious art-rock feel of someone like Pelican. More nihilistic craziness appears on the penultimate track “Flippists/Privateers” with its seemingly randomised guitar work and drums sounding like they’ve been thrown together but miraculously arranged into something exquisitely vicious. Like throwing 1000 bricks into the air and expecting them to fall and make a perfect brick wall with no assistance. Closing the album is “Earthians” which has the shortest lyrics and starts with spoken vocals and drums only. Into a Cult Of Luna like guitar melody the song has that typical ascending build up that gains momentum slowly but ever so meaningfully with some of the most colossal guitar work on the album, the sound will envelop the listener in an asphyxiating tourniquet of sonic savagery. This is a brilliant album that will take the listener on various journeys, one day you’ll be focused on the guitar, another the drums and so on such is the wealth of material it offers.
(9/10 Martin Harris)
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