Sleeping Village Reviews
  • REVIEWS & PREMIERES
  • ARCHIVES
    • OLDE REVIEWS
    • OLDE INTERVIEWS
    • OLDE FEATURES
    • OLDE PREMIERES
  • SUBMIT FOR REVIEW!

BONG COFFIN - Swamp-Kings and Sunken Citadels (Review)

12/25/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Written by: The Administrator 

Proponents of, y'know, not judging a book by its cover: try this one on for size. Look at that moniker. Look at that project title. My god, look at that artwork.* The black lagoon beckons. Prepare thyself accordingly.


Bong Coffin's bio states "heavy stuff, we hope." I am but one listener with limited authority as such, but I'm comfortable stating that this is, indeed, heavy stuff. But sheer weight aside: is it good? Aye. And the most solid indication that this is Good Shit? The reality that each of the three tracks herein is my favorite on the project. They are each unique, and surprisingly catchy, and emotive enough to generate a heartfelt kinetic response. As such, Swamp-Kings and Sunken Citadels presents a high degree of replayability. I've listened to this thing quite a bit at a generally inappropriate volume, as any fellow inhabitant of ye olde Sleeping Village can begrudgingly attest.

​Opener "Träskkungen" offers a solid display of the overall Bong Coffin package. The thick stoner/sludge riffage is obviously dredged from the mire, dripping with as much swamp gunk as ye might expect, but yet the guitar rises from time to time to deliver a tastefully psychedelic tinge. The percussion is delightfully present, with the cymbals providing a level of interest that helps up the intensity. It's an uncommon element of praise when discussing music that is nominally riff-centric, but I'm tempted to say that the drums are the most impressive singular element. And, speaking of intensity, the vocals are utterly monstrous, ranging from a wonderful gurgle/howl to piecing shrieks that seemingly sit on the verge of blow-out. The sheer range of sounds is quite impressive. This track features a sizable solo in the back half, which lends a well-timed mellow break. Definitely a smart choice, given the in-you-face quality of the vocals. The second track, "Mistress of the Obsidian Temple," ups the ante in terms of sheer heft without losing the dynamic approach. The chanted chorus here--expulsions of "Iä! Iä! Iä! Iä!"--is pretty damn visceral in its simplicity, and remains a pervasive earworm. And, continuing to hit the mark of quality established thusfar, closer "No Hope In Sight"--a Paradise Lost cover--balances a menacing weight with surprisingly bright leads and an onslaught of crashing cymbals, a catchy refrain on display all the while.


I'd say I want more, but the reality is that within the past month or so, Bong Coffin have released two more distinct EPs--neither of which, I am ashamed to admit, I've yet had the pleasure of consuming. It is an inspiring level of output, and I think the small release template fits what the band is doing quite well. Small but frequent doses keep the audience wanting more, whilst avoiding the kind of inevitable loss of interest that occurs when releases are few and far between. As a result of Swamp-Kings and Sunken Citadels' heft and memorable songwriting, alongside a notable proclivity for releasing new tracks at an impressive rate, Bong Coffin has been at the forefront of my mind over the past few months. That certainly ain't a bad thing. Needless to say, I'm very excited to witness this project flourish.

Bong Coffin - Swamp-Kings and Sunken Citadels was can be found Nov. 11th, 2021

*artwork courtesy of Kim Holm​

Bong Coffin can be found:
Bandcamp
Facebook
Twitter
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    WELCOME!

    We provide thoughtful reviews of music that wakes us from slumber. Written by a highfalutin peasantry.

    Archives

    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021

    Categories

    All
    Acid Rock
    A High Quality Death Metal Album
    Album Premiere
    Album Stream
    Ambient
    Antifascist
    AOTY
    Atmospheric
    Blackened Death Metal
    Blackened Doom
    Blackened Thrash
    Black Metal
    Brutal Death Metal
    Cinematic
    Classic Rock
    Crust Punk
    Death Doom
    Death Metal
    Death Thrash
    Demo
    Doom Metal
    Dungeon Synth
    Electronic
    Electronica
    EP
    Epic Metal
    Extreme Metal
    Folk Metal
    Fresh Meat Friday
    Gothic
    Grindcore
    Grunge
    Hardcore
    Hard Rock
    Heavy Metal
    Heavy Psych
    Indie Rock
    Industrial Metal
    Instrumental
    Jazz
    Lists 2022
    Mathcore
    Melodic Metal
    Metallic Hardcore
    Mini Reviews
    Music Video
    Noise
    Old School Death Metal
    OSDM
    Pop Rock
    Post Metal
    Post-metal
    Post-rock
    Power Metal
    Powerviolence
    Prog
    Progressive Metal
    Prog Rock
    Psych
    Punk
    Raw Black Metal
    Release Day Roundup
    Retrospective Reviews
    Reviews
    Rock
    Sludge
    Soundtrack
    Speed Metal
    Split Releases
    Stoner
    Stoner Doom
    Stoner Rock
    Swedish Death Metal
    Symphonic Metal
    Synth
    Synthwave
    Thrash Metal
    Track Premiere
    Track Reviews
    Traditional Doom
    Traditional Metal

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • REVIEWS & PREMIERES
  • ARCHIVES
    • OLDE REVIEWS
    • OLDE INTERVIEWS
    • OLDE FEATURES
    • OLDE PREMIERES
  • SUBMIT FOR REVIEW!