COHOL
Crying Of Humanity On The Liturgy
(self-financed)
16:15min

Phew, this disc somehow disappeared while I was moving just to resurface after months lying in wait… rightfully claiming a review because the stuff is actually quite good. When I first read the band name of this Japanese three-piece I thought it might be an abbreviation of "alcohol" and therefore expected some dirty Thrash Metal like from their fellow countrymen TERROR SQUAD… but I was wrong! It is a little bit hard to categorize the music offered on this well produced second demo. Apart from the intro consisting of semi accoustic picking with some slight delay effect applied on it and backed up by some wind noises, two lengthy songs clocking around six to seven minutes each are to be found on here. The band skillfully manages to blend a lot of moods and dynamics into the songs – structurally they have some aspects in common with OPETH even though the riffing and arrangements are not that complex. I really like the dynamic changes between calm accoustic parts and louder energetic passages as the songs evolve and keep a slightly epic edge to the material without losing aggression. Other influences come from Black Metal and some slightly thrashy riffs can be traced here and there as well as some bits of Death Metal though it all really amalgametes into a very own and matured mixture – catchy riffing, massive double bass parts, melancholic / dreamy acoustic passages, aggression and emotion. The vocal duties seem to be shared, mostly a rather screamy voice can be heard as well as some deep spoken voice on the third track – on the second track ‘Glasses See In Black’ there are also some very deep grunting uttereances… these tended a tad bit too much into the ultra guttural department for my taste but that doesn’t take away any quality of the material. I hope this akward description gives you some hints to actually check COHOL out. In case there should be a full-length I would definitely be one to purchase this right away. Band contact: Itaru Sayashi, 10 – 16 Ogami, Miura, Kanagawa, Japan. Email: itaru_zpie@hotmail.com. Official website: http://www.tosp.co.jp/i.asp?i=cohol

Ulrich Kreienbrink

Ulrich Kreienbrink

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