Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Coffinworm - IV.I.VIII (2014)
The oppressive and alienating sound of Coffinworm's final full length release first landed on my radar back in the year of its inception. Back then I was flirting with sludge metal on and off and as such IV.I.VIII was one of my gateway records into the sub-genre. Returning to it now probably some 5 years since my last full play through there is a sense of nostalgia that needs to be supressed somewhat in order to give the album a fair review based on its merits alone. Thankfully the positives are obvious from the off and no airy vibes from a skip down memory lane are required on my part.
The pestilential qualities of this album are still ridiculously infectious some nine years after I first heard them. I read an article this past week on some mummies in some Mexican museum that have done the rounds of the planet on exhibition at various other museums and scientists have just noticed spores growing on the mummified bodies (many of whom are still wearing the clothes they died in) that they believe harmful to humans despite the bodies being buried and exhumed into glass cases over several years. This record is a little bit like those "screaming mummies". Agonisingly vibrant in its presentation, this album has the capacity to make very horrible things grow on the listener - and you should jolly well fucking let it in my opinion.
It is a tragedy that Coffinworm called it quits some two years after this release as based on this performance they had a lot to offer as a collective. This is sickening sludge metal, like some wonderful tasting food that you know is out of date and instantly makes you projectile vomit as soon as it hits your stomach but you still go back for more because it tastes so delicious. IV.I.VIII will have you convulsing and contorting as its violence and cataclysmic dankness strikes you in your very central nervous system. Swarming tracks like Black Tears that cleverly deploys instrumentation that sounds like a car alarm in the final third of the track to add to its terrifying appeal are real album highlights and the slamming and bludgeoning opening of Lust vs Vengeance will stay with you for a long time after the record comes to a stop.
Unlike Daniel, I do not find this album to be as much of an all out assault - I mean it fucking clobbers you repeatedly yeah, but I do also pick up on the lighter moments were the pace and intensity gets paired back enough to let me enjoy some of the rhythms in use, it is these moments that really make me feel that Coffinworm are crawling all over my shit in all honesty. As well as the traditional instruments we would all expect here of guitars, drums etc there are also pianos, keyboards and percussion thrown into the mix which all add to the atmospheric horror that the band create here.
Clear winner in the album highlight stakes is Of Eating Disorders and Restraining Orders, the drop that starts the track proper resonating against my skeleton, heralding the start of one of the most sprawling and corrosive tracks on the whole album. In all honesty though, this album is so close to full marks. Agonisingly close in fact. The only blip I can identify is that some elements feel a bit over-repeated, like the full juice from some ideas is properly getting squeezed out instead of accepting that it has already been used to good effect already. Seriously though, I was nervous about presenting my first feature release in The Fallen, especially given the length of time that had passed since I last gave this album a full spin. I am so happy with my choice though and should have more confidence in my instincts because even with nostalgia put aside this is a fucking great record.