Coscradh – Demo MMXVI (Invictus Productions. 2016).

Coscradh – Demo MMXVI (Invictus Productions. 2016).

From the dark past of Ireland comes this boggy demo, drenched in superstition and the acidic waters on the moorland from whence it came. The macabre introduction to the first song, Buried, sets the mood well, evoking the terrifying, morbid atmosphere of human sacrifice conducted in the primordial mists of the ancient peat bogs, before progressing into the main body of the song, which continues the deathly feel in a flurry of blast beats, frenetic fretwork leads and caustic riffs. The eerie atmosphere continues throughout the demo, with savage, blood-thirsty tremolo picked riffs and leads counterbalanced by more suffocating doomy sections, all perfectly crafted to convey the Eldritch horror of Ireland’s dark past and bringing to life the ghoulish subject matter of the lyrics. This excellent use of Doom is perfectly conveyed in the final song, Coscartac, which starts off in a crawling, doom-laden manor, bringing forth the Apocalyptic sense of civilizational collapse and the curse-laden stench from the rotten depths of time, infecting the land and coming forth to reclaim the world. The sound is murky, with the guitars being quite raw and muddy, sounding somewhat as if they were themselves drawn from the cursed earth. The bass drum doesn’t seem to be that loud in the mix, at points being more a background rumble, adding somewhat to the menacing sound, but at the same time it could be better if it was a smidgen louder. Aside from that complaint, the production is not bad for a demo, and generally suits the sound of the band, helping to bring forth some of the elemental feel within the songs. You can feel the yearning for the distant past, the pre-modern realm of mystery throughout the music. This is a killer start for the band, and I’m now looking forward to hearing more. 8/10.