Artist: Coscradh
Country: Ireland
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Formats: LP / Cassette tape / CD
Year: 2026
I know, nothing is forever. But still, it was somewhat of a surprise to see that the new Coscradh album is not released by Invictus Productions. I’m sure there’s a plenty of reasons, but after a demo, a couple of EPs, a full-length and a compilation it seemed the label and band had signed a pact for the long run. But of course, the new home 20 Buck Spin is by no means a step down, with the first product of this new union ‘Carving the Causeway to the Otherworld’ seeing global release on February 20th.
And even if there was something of a concern, the change of label certainly hasn’t led to a drastic change in style. A wild amalgam of Black and Death Metal, Coscradh could be described as a mix of Teitanblood and Katharsis, but influences of Immortal, Beherit, Marduk, Immolation, Morbid Angel, Possessed and Sadistik Execution to as far back as early Slayer can all be heard in their music. Comparing ‘Carving the Causeway to the Otherworld’ to the previous full-length ‘Nahanagan Stadial’, perhaps the music tilts slightly more towards the Black Metal side of things. In part because of the less heavy and downtuned guitar sound, but also because the vocals are relying less on growls while the croaking vocals in the vein of Abbath (Immortal) and Dagon (Inquisition) are more prominent.
The band offers a wild and versatile record, filled to the brim with a flurry of blasting drums, whammy solos and Irish violence thrown your way during its 44-minute course. But Coscradh excel in a fluidness of transitions, making their escalations of pace and extremity sound natural and unforced. That is a credit to their songwriting, to sound wild and threatening, but in total control. One example is the title track, in which the brooding atmosphere is meticulously built up with nervous drums that are always at the ready to change pace, unhinged vocals and whirling whammy solos. ‘Adhradh Dé Ghoac’ leans slightly more on a Death Metal sound with a hint of Grindcore, rolling and more guttural in its nature. ‘Scythe of Saturn’ is particularly impressive, and it feels as if new drummer Boban Burger is continously playing around with shifting drum tempos. From massive, double bass driven sections with unruly percussion, subtly changing pace to blistering speeds with flying solos, the track is Coscradh at its most volatile. Another highlight is ‘Badhah’s Shadows’, which creeps towards Doom territories at times but most of all manages to capture a sense of essence of Immolation, a band with a unique sense of darkness in their music.
Dark, brooding and frenzied, Coscradh delivers what you expect from them on ‘Carving the Causeway to the Otherworld’. It feels like their control over the whirling madness they create is at an even higher level, making the flurry of pace changes sound effortless. Perhaps it makes the album slightly less chaotic and slightly more leaning on a Black Metal sound, but regardless it’s an impressive first album on their new label.
