CoC : Coffin Birth - The Miracle of Death : Review

Coffin Birth - _The Miracle of Death_
(Bleak Art, 2007)
by: Jeremy Ulrey (7 out of 10)

"The band's influence is clearly rooted deep in the music of King Diamond and Mercyful Fate's albums..." Well, at least they're honest. Actually in a way Coffin Birth -- or whichever label honcho dreamed up the press release -- do themselves a bit of a disservice in restricting acknowledgment of their influences to the Danish lords of metal. In fact, they cover the gamut of high octane sub-thrash in that mid-'80s vein. Propulsive and melodic, the twin guitars of James St. Oliver and Nuclear Nate deliver the goods in vintage fashion, although the vocals of "Stevil" (come on, now) leave a bit to be desired. Neither melodic nor full bodied and husky, Stevil's raspy attempts to update his progenitors' wailing and belting to the death metal era fall well short of the mark (in case I'm not being clear here, if the rest of the band ever decide to take their penchant for sacrifice into the literal realm good ol' Stevil would make a helluva goat). Definitely worth a few spins just based on the music and the potential, but with so many groups mining this sound for all it's worth, Coffin Birth need a little something extra to put them over the hump.

Contact: http://www.coffinbirth.com

(article published 13/7/2008)