Darkthrone’s descent down the doom metal rabbit hole has been pretty well documented by this here webzine. For the past decade now, the infamous Norwegian duo have shifted their focus towards the slow and heavy side of things, resulting in some excellent Sabbathian tinged black metal along the way. All this doom and gloom must’ve spurred founding drummer and beloved figurehead Fenriz to embark upon a side quest along the way, bringing his old pals Aura Noir drummer Apollyon and Infernö bassist Bestial Tormentor along for the ride. Now if you told me these three would ever get together and make some noise, I’d expect it to be along the lines of early Sodom and Bathory. I couldn’t be more wrong.
Meet Coffin Storm: The latest and greatest Norwegian metal supergroup to ever desecrate your eardrums (or at least the best since I). Much like the latter day output of Darkthrone, Coffin Storm too is a doom metal centric beast, albeit in a slightly different manner. Whereas the riffage on Darkthrone’s last few outings lie somewhere between Iommi and Warrior at their most diabolical, Coffin Storm has a penchant for exploring the epic, arcane, and flat out bizarre side of ’80s underground metal, hence the name of their debut album, Arcana Rising.
From the opening grimness of “Over Frozen Moors”, the listener is barraged with a riff onslaught reminiscent of Trouble circa The Skull. Fenriz belts out some wildly unorthodox vocals, sounding at times like Messiah Marcolin of Candlemass with his deep bellows, and it fits the cult aesthetic that dominates this entire outing. Whether it be the lumbering anthemic spirit of the title track or the wicked Mercyful Fate tinged leanings of “Open the Gallows”, Coffin Storm effectively stride the line between doomy traditional metal and traditional doom metal, if that makes any sense. You’re not going to find any influences on here past ’89, and even that’s pushing it.
By the time we get to “Eighty-Five and Seven Miles”, the M.O. of Arcana Rising becomes crystal clear. Yes, the songs are lengthy, but Coffin Storm are more concerned about clubbing you in the head with a riff-heavy attack than taking you on some intricate pseudo-prog voyage. Admittedly, this is an approach that I can see being hit or miss for some, but I largely enjoy it. My choice cut on here is the ruthless “Ceaseless Abandon”, on which the band even borders on violent thrash akin to Dream Death at their most relentless. Epic doom thrash? Yeah, I’m here for it!
Considering Darkthrone’s seemingly never ending writing/recording schedule and Aura Noir’s annual run of the euro fest circuit, who knows if or when we’ll ever hear from Coffin Storm again? If nothing else, Fenriz and the gang have left us with a super niche, yet highly enjoyable oddball of an old school metal album, one that almost dares its listener upon first spin. If you think you have what it takes, grab the reaper’s hand and let Arcana Rising rise within your soul.
7 out of 10
Label: Peaceville Records
Genre: Doom Metal
For fans of: Darkthrone, Celtic Frost, Trouble