EP Review: Runetongue by Cogadh (Self Released)

Canadian black metal duo, Cogadh, are all set to unleash their debut EP titled Runetongue on the 7th October.

Cogadh (pronounced Koo-ga and translating from Gaelic to “War”) are a duo from Ontario and Québec. They use traditional black metal styles of playing while also incorporating more melodic riffs and speed to help create additional atmosphere. They try to incorporate different ideas into black metal and push some boundaries along forming their own style. Cogadh began in 2021 with Ira and Alex meeting through different bands in their region, sharing a mutual interest in black metal. 

Cogadh are Ira Lehtovaara on guitars and bass and Alex Snape on vocals and drums.

Runetongue was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Alex Snape at Nomadic Arts. It has artwork from Manuel Scapinello and a logo from Christophe Szpajdel.

Runetongue was recorded during summer and autumn 2021 and comes with 4 tracks on it. Three original works, and 1 cover of Immortal’s Pure Holocaust, from their album of the same name.

Starting off with This Familiar Cold, the oppressive sounds hit you quite hard from the off. Speedy riffing and drums shake you to your core before it settles into a chunky groove. Filthy vocals join the darkness in what is at first quite a familiar, traditional sound albeit with a little additional melody in the guitars. The transitions between speed and more rhythmic sections is really neat and sees Cogadh shaking off those “traditional” shackles.

It’s a strong start to Runetongue, made all the more impressive when we hit the melodic section nearing the end that sees the oppressiveness drop away to leave a guitar playing, then coming back with a huge and unexpected clean “whoah whoah” section. Genius move, that.

Eye of Balor comes next and comes at you fast and hard with thrashy riffs, speedy drums, thick bass and aggressive vocals. The mix between tones on the vocals is very important and adds another dimension to the song. The drums are fantastic, switching between blasts and rhythms regularly and keeping that head banging away. There is a lot of depth and atmosphere to this song. It screams at you, pulling you down but has an air of catchiness to some if the instrumental sections that is a little surprising for the style, in a good way.

We close out the original songs with The Three Sons, a song telling a tale of loss and revenge from Irish mythology. Again it comes at you aggressively, with raw visceral vocals, intense drumming and thick riffs. The transitions to more rhythmic sections, with solid drum beats keeps the track feeling fresh. Something Cogadh have done cleverly over the entirety of Runetongue. The riffs and more melodic guitar lines really drench the track in a suffocating atmosphere with it fading out, leaving you wanting more.

We close Runetongue with Cogadh taking on Immortal’s Pure Holocaust track. It’s a cover, so not much to say on this other than the important, it is a good cover. Pretty much like for like other than a different sounding production with a bit more depth and meat to the Cogadh version, what with the original being from a fair while ago.

It does close out Runetongue, a debut EP from a black metal band that honour the traditional but refuse to be shackled by the genre boundaries. Runetongue is a solid release with plenty of heaviness and plenty of progression. It hits you hard, soaks you in atmosphere and packs more than enough rhythm to have your neck working. The additional touches, the thrashy riffs, the cleans in The Familiar Cold, these are the moments you will remember. Moments where strong black metal tracks become elevated into intelligent, creative numbers to leave a lasting memory. This is a strong debut.

Cogadh Links

Facebook – Spotify