THE GROTESQUERY
Tales of the Coffin Born
Cyclone Empire
7.5 / 10 Track listing:
01. Coffin Birth
02. This Morbid Child
03. That Thing Which Lurks In Shadows
04. Necromantic Ways
05. The Terrible Old Man
06. Sins Of His Father
07. Spirits Of The Dead
08. Nightmares Made Flesh
09. Sepulcher Macabre
10. Fall Of The House Of Grotesque
If you dug BONE GNAWER's "Feast of Flesh" (Pulverised Records),then there is no reasonable explanation as to why you wouldn't dig THE GROTESQUERY's "Tales of the Coffin Born". The heavyweight main players are the same; Kam Lee (MASSACRE, DENIAL FIEND) on vocals and prolific Swedish death metal journeyman Roger "Rogga" Johannson (RIBSPREADER, PAGANIZER, REVOLTING, DEMIURG, etc.) on the axe. That's not to say that "Tales of the Coffin Born" is "Feast of Flesh" Part II, but rather that you can expect nothing less than DM crunch 'n groove sickness with unshakable songwriting.
Between Lee's famous roaring growl and Johansson's trademark guitar crunch, strengthened by the excellent production of Ronnie Björnström at Studio EAP, "Tales of the Coffin Born" is a mightier than thou testament to the moderately updated sound of early 90s death metal. The crush comes hard, yet always with just enough meat on the melodic bone to assure a return visit. Rich textures, the steel belted rhythm section of Grand Master J. Berglund ("4 string subsonic invocations") and Notorious B. Helgetun ("conversations with spirits by means of ritualistic percussions"),and the terror enhancing inclusion of introductory narratives, all contribute to an album that balances chilling atmospherics with DM power.
And then there is the horrific tale told through Lee's lyrics, an encapsulation of which is well worth repeating here. It is "a dark story reflecting the evil deeds of a desperate man in order to save his coffin born son from death. In order to save his son he must take a life for every year his child is to live. And as the years pass on the child becomes something of a grotesquery itself, lurking in the shadows, feeding off the blood of his father's sacrifices, and morbidly playing with the dead." Yep, it's a real stomach turner.
"Tales of the Coffin Born" is a fine addition to the ever-expanding body of work of Kam Lee and especially Rogga Johansson. These kinds of albums are never about reinvention; only death metal done right. Finally, if you're looking for a cool death metal-oriented label, you really should check out Cyclone Empire. Order a copy of "Tales of the Coffin Born" and grab DEMONICAL's "Hellsworn" while you're at it.
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