Review COFFIN STORM ‘Arcana Rising’

Coffin Storm is a trio that includes musicians, well-known from other bands. The trio consisting of Apollyon (Aura Noir/Lamented Souls), Bestial Tormentor (Infernö/Lamented Souls) and Darkthrone’s Fenriz which is a line.up that sounds rather promising.

‘Arcana Rising’ is the title of the debut album of this band/project and what blasts out of the speakers is thrilling. Not only that the three guys know exactly how to impress with heavy sounds. There is also this underground vibe that comes with this record.

What ‘Arcane Rising’ offers isn’t black- or blackened metal. Instead, the trio recorded a majestic blend of thrash metal, doom metal a traditional heavy metal. The lead single ‘Over frozen Moors’ gave already a great idea about what to expect and it is the mention track that also opens ‘Arcane Rising’.

This longplayer , in a way, is a result of the pandemic as the recording took place back in 20212 and it was Apollyon who was in the lead when it was about the recording of this roaring blast from Norway.

‘Arcane Rising’ is certainly not over-produced and comes with an underground reminding sound. Yet we are facing a powerful release with six songs that could act as a time travel to the early 80s.

Inspired by the sound of bands like Candlemass, the early Metallica, Megadeth up to Cathedral, Coffin Storm created music that has this oldschool vibe and still fit into the context of 2024. ‘Open the Gallows’, for example, is a song with some riffs reminding of Metallica and also the closing chapter called ‘Clockwork Cult’ reminiscent of some eighties thrash metal heroes while the vocals are fully in synch with some of the doom metal masterpieces.

What dampens the thrill though are the some times endless repeated riffs and a hypnotic song structure. It gives the album a certain length that makes it tough to stay focus towards the end and maybe an EP would have been the better option. However, the idea to create such a release is great and fans of doom- and thrash metal fans with a musical connection to the 80s will feel young at heart again while listeneing to these raging metal song.