Album Review: Coiled Around Thy Spine – From the Ashes (Self Released)

Melodic death metal band Coiled Around Thy Spine are back with their brand new album, From the Ashes. After drip-feeding fans throughout the year by releasing each track individually, the full album is available to hear now.

The duo that is Coiled Around Thy Spine impressed us with their debut Shades (read our review here) and even more so with what we heard so far on From the Ashes. Their brand of melo-death hits all the right notes for those who like fast, heavy and guttural noise but with some melody. Hell, it’s as simple as this, if you like quality heavy metal music then look no further than Coiled Around Thy Spine and their new album From the Ashes.

Sinister atmosphere, complex death metal rhythms, hyperactive riffing and pounding drum beats, Paracosm is an opener that makes you sit up and take notice. It’s an opener that shows Coiled Around Thy Spine lean towards the heavier end of the melo-death spectrum.

While noteble on the opening, the scathing and scowling style of vocals really does hurt on the Bodom-esqe Back to the Dark Dimension. You can certainly hear the influences of the legendary Finnish metal band, least of all in the brief guitar solo bursts. Whereas Breath of Existence is all Coiled Around Thy Spine, a blistering assault from all the instruments.

If you’re wondering at this stage if this album is going to be all non-stop ferocity, relax… because it is. However there’s a fair bit more melancholy and a less intense tempo on Graveyard of Thoughts. Whereas Burning Souls is 8+ minutes of cold melodies, haunting atmosphere, sickening blast beats and the album’s most impressive guitar solo. It’s a mammoth offering but one of Coiled Around Thy Spine’s best.

There’s plenty more juicy melodeath to come and Survival Instincts has grandeur blended subtly in and around the duos brand of ferocity. Red Rising Sun is dangerous sounding; the chunky riffing and crushing drum beat, the perfect foil to the brutishness of the vocals. Whereas the final original offering, the title track, is Coiled Around Thy Spine with thrilling speed, guitar complexities and burning with bright melodeath energy.

Which brings us to the two cover tracks that make up the remainder of the album. Covers of Loudness’ Like Hell and Death’s Bite the Pain. The former is a bundle of heavy riff energy and the latter more than does the legendary death metal band justice.

Coiled Around Thy Spine have done an incredible job here. From beginning to end, the album delivers exactly what you want from melodic death metal and then some.

Coiled Around Thy Spine – From the Ashes Full Track Listing:

1. Paracosm
2. Back to the Dark Dimension
3. Breath of Existence
4. Graveyard of Thoughts
5. Burning Souls
6. Survival Instincts
7. Red Rising Sun
8. From the Ashes
9. Like Hell (Loudness Cover)
10. Bite the Pain (Death Cover)

Links

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