Final Coil not a band I’d come across until a few days ago when Phil Stiles got in touch as they’d played dates with the excellent Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate and wondered if his band might be my bag.
Being the type of chap generally content to check out new (to me) bands I hopped over to their BandCamp page and stumped up a few quid on Final Coil’s current album – The World We Inherited. Luckily able to get myself one of the very limited number of CDs. The digital version being available of course.
The World We Inherited is the band’s third album. It took a few spins for me to get properly in to it as I found it a difficult listen at first. However when the penny dropped and I “got it” I like it plenty. Certainly rewarded those fist few tricky listens.
A deceptively complex album musically. Mixes chunky heavy stuff with more relaxed ambient/atmospheric/ethereal keyboard passages and some starkness built in. I’d describe it overall generally progressive metal.
The first three cuts are strong, heavy and atmospherically bleak – though enjoyable – and the lyrics are interesting with, shall we say, a commentary on some of the issues in the world today.
For example Wires is a hard hitter. Short and to the point. As is Chemtrails (guess what that’s about….) with the big thumping clipped riff and thunderous drums and bass. Got right in to my head. Check out the video:
Over the next few songs the more proggy/ambient parts become more prominent merging in well with the constant heaviness – By Starlight for example.
Humanity comes in hard and heavy in a glorious full-on assault and The End of History closes the album in some style.
Final Coil have something a little different here on The World We Inherited. And something whilst not an easy listen at first does get you there after half a dozen or so spins.
If you like your progressive metal with a bleak, stark edge and the weaving in of the slightly spooky piano and other keys then this album is for you. My thanks to Phil Stiles for getting in touch about it.
Check the album out (and Final Coil’s other stuff) from their BandCamp page:
https://finalcoilrock.bandcamp.com/album/the-world-we-inherited