Written: 24th March 2024
Newly formed metallers Coffin Storm are from Kolbotn, Norway, which immediately conjures images of the classic black metal scene, the amazing material associated with the country and the plethora of iconic (and infamous) characters that have emerged from one of the hotbeds of European metal. With a line-up consisting of Kolbotn veterans, Coffin Storm boasts a wide range of experience within its ranks. Apollyon (Aura Noir/Lamented Souls), Bestial Tormentor (Infernö /Lamented Souls) and Darkthrone’s Fenriz on vocal duties make for a formidable trio.
Fenriz explains the origins of the band: "Kolbotn is a hilly forest-y place directly south of Oslo, Norway. When Ole Jørgen and Olav and me grew up there in the 80s, we had easy access to all the metal in the massive amounts of record stores in Oslo. Olav and Ole Jørgen started playing doom metal together in the 90s (Lamented Souls) but in 2020 they teamed up again and making riffs in the slow thrash/doom/classic heavy metal style. When the songs started to take form, Ole Jørgen took his place on the drum throne and soon started to record them. Wanting it to be a 100% Kolbotn project, they asked if I wanted to lay down vocals for it and after a couple of sessions in 2021 and 2022, Coffin Storm was born".
Coffin Storm’s debut album Arcana Rising blends an interesting concoction of heavy metal, slow thrash and doom metal. Opening track Over Frozen Moors begins with a riff straight out of the early 80s. Steady, groove laden thrash and Fenriz’s distinctive vocals portray a picture of a desolate and haunting landscape. The spell you’re under / Refrain from leaving here at night / Domain trespasser / A soul that pines but holds no light / Hold no light. With the protagonist challenged to confront fears and with a sense of foreboding, Over Frozen Moors emphasises the themes of anticipation and a stark setting where the moors themselves are forever waiting for a moment that is perpetually about to arrive. Having exclusively premiered Over Frozen Moors on the Fenriz Metal Pact Podcast, he comments on the single: “Right off the bat it's a chunky 1984 style Exodus verse riff followed by a myriad of melodics in a levitating refrain. The middle of the song just proceeds with an even more killer slow-thrash riff and a surprising vocal part baked into it which gives the song an added epic layer. For the heaviness of the rhythm shift in the closing part, I just have one thing to say: Wait for it..!”
On the title track Arcana Rising, slow doom inspired riffs – reminiscent of Cathedral or Solitude Aeturnus welcome us with a grandiose and apocalyptic atmosphere. Lyrically combining mystical and combative imagery, Coffin Storm evoke a sense of an epic cyclical battle between unknown forces and humanity. The track picks up pace as the final confrontation draws near and a rampant, rapid guitar solo illustrates the battle cries of the attackers. Submerged into a well-known game / The horrid confusion / Apathic mankind cowers in fright / Prepare the forces / Wiping the sphere, begin again / It spins to infinity / We have returned we have returned.
At over ten minutes, Open The Gallows is by far the longest track on the album (no song is less than six minutes) but and even though the main riffs repeat for much of the track (some of which would sit happily on Metallica’s earliest albums), it remains interesting due to the overall structure. Several sections within the song break away from the main riff allowing for variation with some incendiary guitar solos and a range of timbres coming to the fore. On Open The Gallows, Coffin Storm take the listener on a journey through dark, supernatural realms. With references to seers, the cyclops and falcons symbolising mythical forces and lost truths, they combine archaic and futuristic visions. As lanterns are crushed the laser eyes beam / Your souls stripped away the cyclops now dream / And as falcons now swirl the truth slips away / Drained from reality, it’s your final day. The thrash influences of Coffin Storm are never more evident than on Open The Gallows, a direction which surprised Apollyon. “Initially I was assuming the music would be doom metal. I think all of us had ‘Epicus Doomicus Metallicus’ in mind but even if our songs are slow/mid tempo, the riffs ended up being more thrashy than I had expected. Only the title track is pure doom simply because it's a song me and Bestial Tormentor made some 20 years ago that we were über eager to hear Fenriz' ravishing vocal lines on.”
Having Fenriz on board will no doubt widen the fanbase which Coffin Storm can generate but originally the plan for the band was that Apollyon would provide the vocals. “Me and Bestial Tormentor have been playing together since we met in college in 1990 and formed the doom metal act Lamented Souls. After I had stopped playing live with Aura Noir, we decided to meet up weekly and play guitar together. As songs were starting to emerge, I switched to drums and we made recordings that Bestial Tormentor played to Fenriz, who apparently approved! I would never have dared to ask him to do the vocals! I was considering doing them myself but he was secretly our first choice. Fortunately, Bestial Tormentor popped the question and he said yes.”
While it is fun to revel in the clear nostalgia evident on Arcana Rising, it is not a perfect album. Eighty-Five And Seven Miles meanders, ineffectively looking for direction and although it is some three minutes shorter than Open The Gallows, it fails to captivate the listener in the same way. Fenriz is without doubt a legend within the world of metal and has been known for his occasionally unconventional delivery in the past; however, there are occasions where his vocals are a little inconsistent such as during parts of Ceaseless Abandon.
Clockwork Cult ends the album on a more successful note and encapsulates the different styles we have heard on the album already, with the band diving into a dystopian tale of control and conformity. Suggesting a society where behaviour is shaped by strict cause and effect rules, individuals are expected to maintain the status quo. Condition through consequence / Contribute to pacification / Control is paramount / Internment, violation.
Coffin Storm’s Arcana Rising is an album that makes no secret of its influences. It certainly breaks no new ground and it would be surprising if the band thought they were doing so. It is a homage to the values, techniques and sound of the 1980s. Production on the album finds a good balance between older, less technical values and modern techniques, meaning it maintains an old school feel without suffering from over compression or sounding too clinical. With much of the album sitting between slow thrash, heavy metal and intermittent doom influences, fans of Candlemass, Pentagram, Metallica, Kreator, Paradise Lost and Cathedral will find that while the album may not totally set the metal world of 2024 alight, there will be much to remind listeners of why they first fell in love with those bands.
Arcana Rising is released on Peaceville on 29th March 2024