ALBUM REVIEW: Noose Almighty – Swamp Coffin
Hailing from the cold, dark, enigmatic north of England, exhumed from the depths of the gloomy soil and shrouded in the tattered fabric of pain and misery is the sludgy, doom-bringing trio of SWAMP COFFIN, Rotherham’s answer to EYEHATEGOD. Musically rooted in the 1990s New Orleans (NOLA) sludge scene, while mixing BLACK SABBATH’s signature groove with death metal fury, SWAMP COFFIN have forged their own metallically savage sound and cast it out of the finest Rotherham steel. Building on what was laid down on 2019’s Flatcap Bastard Features, the band have upped the ante, conceptually exploring the brutal realities of depression, trauma, grief, betrayal and a general disenchantment with the world; Noose Almighty is a harrowing but cathartic album.
There is a lot of pain and grief associated with this record, vocalist and guitarist Jon Rhodes experienced significant losses in the build up to the album being created. Losing a loved one and being homeless after a house fire, Rhodes had a significant amount of adversity facing him. With the raw emotions of these traumatic events circulating round their minds, SWAMP COFFIN have taken a few pages out of EYEHATEGOD’s pain filled book and used that trauma to create an abrasive and haunting set of tracks that will leave an indelible mark on your soul. The visceral nature of the album makes you question the fragility of mortality and the destructive force of fire and how it can wipe out all you hold dear in an instant.
The album also sees the band’s sound develop significantly, utilising more groove and heavier riff structures that feel like a powerful punch to the proverbial gut. These are contrasted by some more sombre elements that allow brief moments of quiet reflection, which are where the true emotional weight of Noose Almighty is allowed to take hold. Through all the anger and loud distortion of the guitars, there is a silently hurting, emotionally wounded person that is fighting for survival under the pressure. Despite this, there is also an ominous and sinister feel to the album in certain areas, the band channelling the influence of BLACK SABBATH’s Black Sabbath to create a dark and claustrophobic environment from which there is no escape or refuge.
The stand out song on the album is its title track, Noose Almighty. The song title and lyrics were conceived whilst Rhodes was in Disneyland, a place more closely associated with innocence and happiness rather than suffering and grief. This could be interpreted as symbolic for how it feels to suffer with mental illness, despite the supposed happiness around you, you feel hollow inside. Whilst the song is still distinctly SWAMP COFFIN, it also has a black metal quality to it. The harshness of the lyrics turns you cold as it penetrates your thoughts in the most vivid and visceral way. The themes and concepts of the album are truly magnified to create an intense and evocative song.
Barbarian Windsor has the hallmarks of a truly NOLA style sludge song, reminiscent of something found on EYEHATEGOD’s recent album A History Of Nomadic Behaviour. The song sounds dirty and punky with an infectious groove. Jaegerbombsaway matches the energy of Barbarian Windsor, but slows it down into a trudging monolith that pummels its way through your skull. Penultimate track Knuckledragger and album closer Welcome To Rot are slices of pure aggression and anger, their chugging riffs creating a sense of impending doom.
SWAMP COFFIN have managed to turn tragedy and abject misery into a form powerful catharsis that will resonate with everyone. The claustrophobic atmosphere and sense of impending doom never leaves you throughout the album, and the use of titanic riffs and dynamic tempo shifts makes you feel like you’re being dragged to the far reaches of hell and back repeatedly. Ultimately there is catharsis in this chaos, and Noose Almighty is a testament to the strength that the band have to keep going despite the severe upheaval that its members have faced.
Rating: 8/10
Noose Almighty is set for release on November 26th via APF Records.
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