ALBUM REVIEW: Arcana Rising – Coffin Storm
Rising from the forests of Kolbotn, Norway comes COFFIN STORM and their debut album Arcana Rising. Although the band name might be new, the names behind the project will be familiar to many. Apollyon, Bestial Tormentor and Fenriz have all previously enjoyed success in several bands elsewhere. Furthermore, the trio were all born and raised in Kolbotn, meaning the album’s roots run deep.
Apollyon and Bestial Tormentor have known each other since 1990 and enjoyed a run as part of LAMENTED SOULS before the band fizzled out. However, the pair later found themselves jamming together once again but the music took on a different dimension. This led Bestial Tormentor to reach out to Fenriz. The DARKTHRONE frontman quickly saw the potential for something exciting and hopped aboard as lead vocalist.
The story of COFFIN STORM is intrinsically linked to the story of the album, so it’s important to understand how and why the project was pieced together. Each song on the album leans into the experiences and the influences of those who made it. Listeners can trace the DNA back to AURA NOIR, LAMENTED SOULS and DARKTHRONE – bands that all contained members of COFFIN STORM. The album was designed to be an all-Kolbotn project and the idea of homecoming is a central theme; Arcana Rising binds together the pasts of its members and tips its hat to the likes of CANDLEMASS, PENTAGRAM and METALLICA – bands that all shaped the artists the trio have become.
Album opener Oven Frozen Moors is an immediate statement of intent. A thundering riff throws the band into the chaos as Fenriz‘s unruly vocals run wild. The rhythm shift that pulls the song towards its conclusion is a thing of beauty and plays straight into the impending darkness of Arcana Rising. The title track is the only pure doom offering on the record, but it’s where the band sound most comfortable. After a haunting vocal interlude the track slides effortlessly into a deep, heavy groove before a towering guitar solo dances across the bleak soundscape.
Despite the impressive musical chops on display, Arcana Rising is an album that lives and dies by two central components. Although by design, the album sounds and feels incredibly dated in places, and could have been recorded in the mid-80s. Meanwhile, Fenriz‘s untamed and theatrical vocals exist on a different plane from the rest of some of the songs. On Open The Gallows, the stars align and everything fits perfectly. The anticipation is built and teased in the opening minute-and-a-half before things crack into top gear. The vocals swirl in the musical storm, and again, the solo is just stunning. But in Eighty-Five And Seven Miles, sections of the action sound messy and the vocals too grandiose for their own good.
Ceaseless Abandon doesn’t hit the peaks of earlier tracks, but the tempo changes keep the listener guessing throughout. The transition between the gloomy ending and demonic wailing and distortion that opens Clockwork Cult is so rewarding. The album’s sequencing is perfect and shows how much of a lost art it’s become. The track ensures the album goes out on a high, even if the vocals could have been dialled back.
There’s plenty to enjoy with Arcana Rising. But that enjoyment is only unlocked if the listener can fully buy into what the band is all about. The dated sound will either provide nostalgia and a welcome throwback, or a feeling the album offers nothing new. Likewise, the vocals will enchant some and be a bridge too far for others. There’s no middle ground. However in the end, despite high points such as the title track and Open The Gallows, those two issues are too much to overcome.
Rating: 6/10
Arcana Rising is set for release on March 29th via Peaceville Records.
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