EP Review: Final Coil - 1994 (Nyctophobic Records, 2026)
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Written: 22nd February 2026
In early 2024, Final Coil – whose influences range from Tool and Pink Floyd to Katatonia and Massive Attack - released the last part in a trilogy of albums in the shape of the excellent The World We Inherited (review here). It signalled the closing of the first, significant, chapter of their career to date. Since then, the band have played many live shows, released an expanded version of The World We Inherited and started to plot their next grand endeavour. However, after working on detailed nuanced conceptual pieces, the band wanted to also find time to go back to celebrate what first captured their interest musically and specifically, the year 1994 – the year that saw the release of Jar of Flies by Alice in Chains, The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails and the debut album from Machine Head, Burn My Eyes. In the words of frontman Phil Stiles, “Sometimes you have to go back to go forward.”
1994 - a four track EP - opens with the snarling insistence of Instant Fix. Typically for the band, it blends a range of styles – in this case the jagged riffs of punk, the spirit of grunge, the aggression of metal and even touches of Hawkwind’s space rock. Over four minutes, Final Coil show that for all the progressive touches their music can sometimes contain, when they want to, they can imbue songs with high energy and venomous angst. When I first heard Instant Fix, I was reminded of the magnetic power and verve of Therapy? – who themselves released a ground breaking album in 1994, the much lauded Troublegum. Therefore, it was with some interest that, upon reading the accompanying press notes for this EP, I discovered that the drums were played by former Therapy? drummer Graham Hopkins. Although he did not play on Troublegum itself, he joined the band in 1996 and performed on three albums, beginning with Semi‑Detached, a record that is a huge personal favourite of Phil Stiles. Lyrically, Instant Fix explores the way we sometimes cling to comforting but destructive habits or memories, ignoring the harm they cause. What’s it matter? / Or are you just deceived / The past can flatter / It cannot be believed.
Second track Narcissist is a depiction of being trapped in an abusive relationship that could read as being controlled by either a person or a drug or both, creating an image of harm but also dependency. Slipping away from me / Out of your mind / A casual smile betrays / Malicious design. The track is one that has long lived in the band’s setlist but has never found a suitable place for a studio version until now. Along with some stomping metallic chords but also elements of grunge, Jola Stiles’s bass guitar rumbles and growls, propelling the track forward.
Playing Games is the track that, in certain places, most obviously finds the band channelling their love of Nirvana. The steady bass line and the combination of Phil Stiles and Richard Awdry’s vocals during the quieter verses and the crunchy riffs of the central section all combine in ways that will appeal to fans of Alice In Chains and Soundgarden. So out of touch / We pass without a word / Now out of luck / Both nursing bitter hurt. A breakup song about two people who have drifted apart through dishonesty and emotional distance, it features a short but infectious guitar solo by Awdry.
1994 closes with the six-minute Woke. Another track that is redolent of Therapy? and their punk-infused attitude, Phil Stiles's vocals tip between belligerent causticity during the verses and melodic flourishes during the choruses. A critique of how society hides behind jokes and cynicism to avoid responsibility for real problems, Woke is a well structured piece that contains a compelling instrumental section that seems to be giving the listener time to consider what is being portrayed. It is an interesting amalgamation of the musical styles of 1994 with lyrics that are very much rooted in the present. Just close your eyes and wish it all away / Make a joke, heave a sigh, it doesn’t matter anyway / Blame it on the snowflakes or blame it on disease / And if the people protest, just bring them to their knees.
1994 is a fascinating step in the development of Final Coil, serving as stop-gap for fans before the release of their next full-length album. Furthermore, the band should be congratulated for their willingness to create a project of this kind using entirely original material. It would have been easy to select four or five songs from the year in question and release a covers EP. By writing and recording their own music, the band are able to celebrate the styles and influences of that era, and do so in a way that remains their own.
Unsurprisingly and deliberately, there are nods to bands of the time and offers a clearer insight into the kind of music that they genuinely enjoy. Graham Hopkins’s drumming adds a powerful sense of authenticity to the recording. His playing is precise, expressive and full of character, and it brings an energy that enhances each song and helps to bind the whole concept together. As a complete work, 1994 is a concise but striking statement that balances nostalgia with a renewed sense of immediacy. It should be heard by anyone with a passion for the grit and invention of mid-nineties alternative music.
1994 is released on 27th February 2026
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