
SWAMP COFFIN
Noose Almighty (APF)
The UK has a proud tradition in producing decent sludge bands, having thrown up the likes of Iron Monkey right through to Conan, but now from the dreary confines of Rotherham come yet another miserable sludge contender in Swamp Coffin – although if you’d told me that they come from New Orleans that would have been entirely believable. The latest album Noose Almighty pays massive homage to the NOLA sludge scene, with colossal lurching riffs that bring to mind the likes of Eyehategod or Graveyard Rodeo, albeit with a dusting of good ol’ Blighty humour with track titles like Jagerbombs Away and my personal favourite Barbarian Windsor.
But that’s where the puns end, as what we’ve got here is six tracks of intense brutality, but born out of depression, trauma, and general unhappiness at the world. Swamp Coffin do not offer anything new, but if it’s slow, heavier than a bag of spanner riffs and growling vocals, that you require, well then Noose Almighty should be at the top of your list for Santa.
words CHRIS ANDREWS