While not immediately obvious from song titles like “Last of the Summer Slime” and “Black Shirt, Blacker Sabbath,” this debut EP from UK outfit Swamp Coffin is said to be inspired by mental illness, a fatal car accident and a devastating house fire. You might say it’s more or less what you’d expect from a NOLA-style sludge record.
“Blood in the Water” starts things off with a sea of shimmering feedback, leading into a slow ‘n heavy head-nodder complete with gurgling, guttural vocals – sorta like Eyehategod in super-slow mo, throwing in some Crowbar-style breakdowns around the three-minute mark. The seven-minute “Annihulus” slows things down even further into Winter territory, accenting the haunting, plodding pace with a couple NOLA-style grooves.
The aforementioned “Black Shirt, Blacker Sabbath” starts off with a Sleep-style bass groove, and contains a few riffs that remind me of the Weedians throughout its nine-minute runtime. D.C. based stoner outfit Borracho also comes to mind, as does underrated French combo Denizen, particularly in the vocal department, where things remain quite sludgy.
“Last of the Summer Slime” is even longer, clocking in at just over 11 and a half minutes. This one also veers more toward death-doom territory, chugging along at a snail’s pace for six and a half minutes, before slowing things down even further in the backstretch. It’s a bit of a long slog, but not a particularly unpleasant listen.
https://swampcoffin.bandcamp.com
(independent)
