Koffin "Nailed into the Coffin" CD

Comes with 4 pages booklet and in jewel case.
Koffin were a very short-lived Estonian death metal act that came and went with only a demo and a few odds-and-ends songs for their couple year excursion. The demo titled Nailed Into The Coffin is the most accessible way to taste their formula, boasting only four songs and an intro. As you would expect, it’s as raw and rough as the artwork and somewhat goofy band name suggests. I’m not sure what it is with these Baltic death metal acts using incorrect spellings on purpose lately.
Regardless, what we get is a pretty healthy serving of murky rhythms under a swamp of festering gutturals trapped between padded walls. By this I mean that the harsh delivery is somewhat eclipsed by what feels like a sound-wall muffle thanks to the degraded atmosphere. The intro track into “Deicide” shows this pretty well, however the isolated guitar bridge feels more fierce because of this. We can also get a clearer feel for the basslines, a common feat in this kind of death metal release.
The typical themes around gore, death, and pain match the general aesthetic of suffering on Nailed Into The Coffin. For such a short work with a hard production, the songs are surprisingly concise. “Legal Genocide” marches forth with galloping rhythm patterns, which fold into a faster drive. “Stupid Thoughts” lets us on with a bass-heavy start that carries the whole track, before concluding with “Terminator,” utilizing more samples to set the tone for the most (fittingly) aggressive track here.
While nothing groundbreaking, Koffin managed to bring forth a really solid demo considering how brief, basic, and primitive sounding it was. It’s a shame that they broke up before breaking ground, because this lays some potential for what would be really strong death metal. Anybody who digs the OSDM sound and likes it as rare as their steak, perhaps give this a try. Don’t let the name turn you away.

Estonian death metallers Koffin have their debut demo reissued by Morbid Chapel Records, out now! Originally released by Strok Records and with Life After Death handling the new tapes.
Eerie church bells chime, setting the release off to a atmospheric and creepy beginning. These grow with ambient organs. Pounding drums and drawn out riffs bellow to life, crawling along with mid-tempo grooves. The doomy sparse death metal is packed with a morbid and monstrously heavy energy that has a legitimately foreboding feeling to it, when the double kick drums and visceral riffs drop, the ferocity is palpable. Hammering forth, the old school death metal carnage is relentless and backs up a slew of hideously demonic growls. There is not a single tone or note on this demo that lacks the macabre, grave-opening, rotten sounds that I had hoped for. Truly a venomous and crushing first impression.
As the demo continues, we see a nice variety of doomy slow sections, crawling mids and blasting chaos. This volatility not only keeps things fresh but adds a huge sense of excitement to the primal material. The mix is raspy but perfectly clear enough to hear the whole band easily, adding a murky shroud to the monolithic death metal. Chugging forth with a battering of drums and malicious guitars backing up yet more zombifying vocals, there is never a dull moment on this demo. Only true old school crypt-lurking soundscapes delivered with utmost aggression and savagery.
A fantastic slab of classic death metal worship that is memorable, catchy and most importantly brutal. Tight drum work, harrowing vocals and pungent riffs make for a totally devastating, if short, listen that warrants plenty of repeat plays.

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