Friday 28 February 2014

Coercion - Delete

COERCION - Delete (PERVERTED TASTE MUSIC - CD 1999)
I must admit that for many years I didn't even realize that a band called Coercion exists somewhere there. At the time when these Swedes have released their both full length albums I never heard of them, and I don't know if it was because I didn't pay enough attention or simply because both Coercion albums were released by small label Perverted Taste Music. Let's be honest, it has never been prolific label, with vast distribution line and great advertising campaign hehe. Besides, Coercion was not a band that was coming with the first wave of Swedish death metal... Sure, they had some demos released in 1993 and 94, but the debut album "Forever Dead" was released in 1997 and at that time we were all more excited about the black metal coming from Norway rather than about some unknown Swedish death metal bands. Anyway, couple of years ago I've read something about Coercion and decided to buy their second album "Delete", hoping to hear some cool death metal. I wasn’t sure if this album will good at all, especially as “Delete” was released in 1999 and it wasn’t the best year for underground death metal... Hmm, great death metal records were just very few back then and they rather came from biggest names of the scene as well as from some more established underground acts such as Vomitory, Centinex, Fleshcrawl... But I can honestly say that the name Coercion should be added to this list. Yeah, "Delete" definitely meets my expectations and I am very please to say this is very cool Swedish death metal record... Yeah, Coercion is yet another name on the Swedish death metal map, which you must know and get their stuff immediately!
I think I can risk saying that "Delete" is one of the best Swedish death metal albums of the time (end of the 90’s). What I like especially about it is that it is pure death metal, so Coercion doesn't fuck around with keyboards, female vocals or other bullshit, but actually play pure, classic death metal. And so there are some faster and brutal songs, then some slower stuff, but also more melodic tracks here and there... Mainly it is groovy and mid paces, so maybe nothing exceptionally original, I know, but the result is just really, really good here. And I can say that I like it a lot.
I guess one of my favourite songs on the album is "Carve the Stone". What an awesome opener! It is quite groovy, but with a lot of aggressive, classic death metal parts and there are even some blasting fast fragments here and there, so in the end it is very diverse, but classic death metal tune. Great riffing! Great vocals of Kenneth Nyman! Great sound! "Once I Cared" sounds like At the Gates a lot, just check that opening motif hehe. But it is also very good track, with great feeling and powerful playing. Following with "Eclipsed", it has some resemblance to Grave, even Gorefest and Six Feet Under... and so on and on; many great songs, many great riffs... I absolutely feel like none of these tracks here are bad, there are no fillers, but just very good death metal stuff, played with passion, groove and aggression. If you prefer slow and heavy pieces then such songs as the awesome "Without Aim", "Life Denied" or "Evolution Reversed" will be for you for sure and will be enough to satisfy your hunger for killer death metal. Do we need anything more? I don't think so. "Delete" is good as it is and I can truly recommend you this criminally unknown and underrated band and almost forgotten album.
Standout tracks: "Carve the Stone", "Mental Turmoil", "Without Aim"
Final rate: 70/100

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