Thursday 6 March 2014

Coercion - Lifework

COERCION - Lifework (ANIMATE Records - CD 2002)
"Lifework" is the final release from the Swedish death metal band called Coercion. This band doesn't belong to the most known and respected acts from the mighty Sverige, so I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that many of you never even heard any music from them, but I can personally say that I definitely recommend you to listen to it, if you only like classic, old styled take on death metal. "Delete" was a great album, then "Lifework" came and it is even better, sadly it is just miniCD... and more so, it is the last material released by Coercion. I don't actually know why and when did the band split up, or did they plan to record their third album at some point or not... or maybe we'll see them coming back one day, just as we see so many other old bands reforming nowadays. As far as I know it all ended when the original member and songwriter Kenneth Nyman left in 2010. But "Lifework" was released in 2003, so I have no idea what did they do in the meantime. Anyway, let's listen to this MCD and enjoy some killer death metal tunes!
I must say that I like the songs from "Lifework" even more than those from "Delete" album. There's one thing, which I like about them especially and that is the fact that they're less groovy, but more brutal and way more oriented into the fast, massive, intensely crushing death metal. And that is great, because the music seems to be more powerful and furious with it. There's probably just one thing, which I would change and that is the production of "Lifework". Certainly "Delete" sounded better, in my opinion. This MCD sounds fine, but it lacks maybe some "meat" in the sound, especially in the guitars, so I would prefer to hear more brutal production... I have also some doubts about the drums' sound, but well, taking what is here, it also isn't bad, but just could have been better. The songwriting totally rescue this MCD; as I mentioned there are just very, very good songs here! Such "Man vs Logic" is just a fuckin blast, fast and relentless, brutal as hell... "Push and Hold" is also like this, but it slows down a little bit later, but then "Consumed" is again a total ferocious, aggressive death metal attack. There are traces of some Vader, Sinister, a bit of American brutality from bands like Monstrosity and obviously there must be a Swedish death metal trace - resembling of Vomitory, mid era Grave, Seance... All in all, a traditional, classic take on this music and with just 17 minutes of music, it is enough to impress and force into the headbanging waltz.
Standout tracks: "Consumed", "Four Walls"
Final rate: 80/100

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