ALBUM REVIEW: Coffin Birth – Extremity

Hailing from Oakland, California, EXTREMITY are on the warpath to establish themselves as one of modern death metal’s strongest forces. While only forming in 2016, but the trio have a sound that is truly rooted in the early death metal scene. The band released their well-received debut EP, Extremely Fucking Dead – and this summer sees EXTREMITY return with their debut full-length album, Coffin Birth.

Opening with one of Coffin Birth’s strongest tracks, EXTREMITY merge the title-track intro and the first proper song together seamlessly with Coffin Birth/A Million Witches. The Coffin Birth section of the song carries a creepy, haunted carnival vibe that is truly unsettling, but it doesn’t linger for long before the trio drive into immediate highlight A Million Witches. In the two minutes before the vocals kick in, EXTREMITY manage to showcase the diversity of their sound, moving from up-tempo, aggressive riffing to a stomping, slower paced groove, before chucking in some haunting lead work and coming full circle to the speedy aggression. While much of A Million Witches lands in the faster part of EXTREMITY‘s spectrum of sound, in places it shows off their comfort in slowing things down, and they manage to make the changes in tempo work perfectly.

The record’s lead single, Grave Mistake, stands as another undisputed highlight from the record. Opening with an almost death-doom riff coupled with dissonant, haunting leads, EXTREMITY again show they are perfectly comfortable slowing things down in a very AUTOPSY/BOLT THROWER-esque fashion. However, it doesn’t take long for the track to shake off the doomy, crushing riffing in favour of something a little more visceral. The unsettling lead work returns throughout the track, and is offset nicely by the dual vocal attack towards the end of the song that feels somewhat disconcerting.

The intro to For Want Of A Nail carries a similar haunted sound to the title track, setting the track up as a disturbing listen. Keeping the tempo on the faster end of mid-paced for much of the song, EXTREMITY play around with classic death metal riffing and occasional licks of dissonant, atonal leads, just in case the listener is getting too comfortable. The last minute-and-a-half sees EXTREMITY move away from the groove, kicking things into a more blistering gear for the remainder of the track and ensuring the listener is totally levelled by the time the equally savage Occision comes into play.

Coming full circle, EXTREMITY bring Coffin Birth to a close with Misbegotten/Coffin Death. Opening with an acoustic passage that brings an incredibly sinister atmosphere to play. As Misbegotten drives in with one of the record’s more memorable riffs, EXTREMITY once again jump between a mid-paced groove and up-tempo, aggressive riff work with ease.  Almost seamlessly, Misbegotten transitions into Coffin Death, mirroring Coffin Birth/A Million Witches at the start of the album. With a similar haunted carnival sound, though mixed with ethereal voices and guitar feedback, EXTREMITY ends Coffin Birth in much the same way it started.

Unsettling, crushing and true to the old-school, Coffin Birth is an extremely promising, solid debut from EXTREMITY. The twin-guitar attack and dual vocals provide an unnatural sound that is as enticing as it is disturbing. Further, the production is incredibly raw, adding to the unsettling soundscape Coffin Birth harnesses. Though the album lacks originality and a touch of memorability, Coffin Birth stands as a promise that EXTREMITY have a bright future ahead of them.

Rating: 7/10

Coffin Birth is out now via 20 Buck Spin.

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