Coffins - March of Despair EP

Coffins were one of my favorite bands growing up, and probably the reason why I really started getting into death metal (and doom metal as well, though I didn't really get into that as much until recently). I'm a bit dissapointed in myself for being late on hearing this EP, but it certainly delivered! If you don't know who Coffins are, they play a blend of death/doom metal that's heavy influenced by gore and old-school metal (i.e. Venom, Death).

March of Despair is Coffins first solo music release (not counting the plethora of splits they've been doing in recent years) since Buried Death in 2008. Continuing on the 'faster' sound that was apparent in Buried Death -- in comparison to previous releases -- March of Despair is much more aggressive sounding and showcases the band's death metal and sludges influences. This isn't to say that it lacks the heaviness and atmosphere that Coffins are known for -- it definitely sounds like death/doom. But it indicates that the next LP will be headed in a much thrashier direction, which is fine by me!

ARTIST: COFFINS

ALBUM: MARCH OF DESPAIR EP

GENRE: DEATH/DOOM METAL

MEDIAFIRE

Derketa - In Death We Meet

Premiering at this year's Maryland Deathfest, Derketa is an all-female death/doom metal with members from Mythic and Behind Enemy Lines. They released some material in the 90s, but this is their first full-length album. Honestly, in spite of my high hopes for this release...it's not the most memorable album in the world. That's not to say it's not good -- far from it, but it's a far cry from the sorta-maybe-Mythic re-incarnation I had hoped for. There are some good riffs on it -- as well as some great musicianship -- it's just not as good as I hoped it would be (if it were absolute tripe I wouldn't be uploading it here in the first place, so there ya go)

Again, I found the Mythic EP to be more satisfying than this -- mostly on account of Dana Duffey's ridiculous ball-crushing vocals. But if you're into death/doom or female-fronted vocals, this one's awesome.

ARTIST: DERKETA

ALBUM: IN DEATH WE MEET

GENRE: DEATH/DOOM METAL

MEDIAFIRE