2024 Independent (Digital)
cogort.bandcamp.com
7/10 CRUSHED FUCKING SKULLS
Death metal from California is what's on order here, a debut full-length album after an EP and a single prior to this. The gents have a humorous and probably unhealthy preoccupation with reptiles and swamp life, which is a weird fuckin' thing to write about, but I won't complain when the tunes are this good! I also will not dismiss them as a joke band, as they are clearly not a joke. Thick, chunky death metal riffs meet a very good recording, warm with excellent drum sound. Good musicianship and classy songwriting are also featured heavily. The song titles are humorous satires of popular metal songs in many cases, with examples like "Caught in a Marsh" or "Bonded by Bog," but the songs themselves are anything but a joke. This is good, solid death metal with tongue firmly in cheek. I'd compare them loosely to 1990s Floridian death metal crossed with Nunslaughter crossed with Massacre or Pungent Stench, with other styles popping up here and there, but with morbid solos and a lot of punk attitude and energy. "Jesus Toad" is a standout track, just heavy as fuck and interesting musically, although it's not the only memorable song here, it's just the one that stuck out the most. I'd like to see this get a physical release, so any enterprising labels should get in touch with these guys and do it. There are a lot of good death metal records out these days, but nothing really like this. And bonus points for the oddball Crocodile Hunter samples. That's weird enough on its own to stand out!
No comments:
Post a Comment