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Coilguns

Commuters

Written by: PP on 10/03/2013 00:54:12

Over the years many of us have come to associate the name The Ocean as a household post-metal / sludgy progressive metal name. It's therefore no surprise to find that a side project featuring three members of The Ocean indulging in a slightly different genre to embrace similar quality in songwriting craftsmanship. I present you Coilguns, a new venture by The Ocean trio Louis Jucker, Jona Nido, and Luc Hess, whose debut album "Commuters" showcases an interesting scenario of post-metal blended almost seamlessly with chaotic hardcore and mathcore styles.

Their bio opens with a dictionary definition of a coil gun: 'A projectile accelerator which utilizes electromagnetic coils to discharge a projectile(s) at extremely high velocity.'. It makes sense, because the vast majority of tracks feature senseless chaos delivered through mathcore complexities, distorted screams (think Every Time I Die, The Chariot), and a purposefully unmelodic, left-then-right, up-then-down type of insane instrumentation pattern that lends itself perfectly for intensely violent pits at basement style shows. Discordance and dissonance are aplenty on the album, but at the same time Coilguns throw a few curveballs at us in the form of more progressive material that leans towards their post-metal origins. Case in point, "Commuters Part 2", the second track on the album, which is an 11½ minute ambitious piece complete with whisperous vocals, lots of spacious ambiance and plenty of The Chariot style feedback enshrouded in progressive vibe, where all the elements grow louder and louder until an explosion point pushes the band into monstrous screaming and ambitious soundscapes that borrow from Norma Jean's more expansive material.

For the most part, though, Coilguns reference the chaotic mathcore bands. The songs might be longer than the standard in the genre, but they are still brooding, angular pieces of fury that crash purposefully into brick walls to cause as much sonic damage as possible. In songs like "Minkowski Manhattan Distance" they manage Converge-like levels of intensity and urgency in their sound. So, umm, you put together Converge, The Chariot, and Every Time I Die on one release with hints of post-metal for good measure? Prepare to be obliterated.

Download: Plug-In Citizens,
For the fans of: Every Time I Die, The Chariot, Norma Jean, Converge
Listen: Facebook

Release date 25.02.2013
Pelagic Records