Opening with the excellent ‘Real (are you listening?)’, the tone is set for the rest of this EP as it begins with a juddering riff that wouldn’t sound out of place on System Of A Down’s 1999 debut album (the first of many late 90s/early 00s influences the band offer up on this release). An amalgamation of fast paced, pounding riffs akin to Dark Days era Coal Chamber and aggressive, urgent vocals, Black Coast know how to write an earworm. Even this early on, bassist Jack Beardsall deserved a shout out for his rumbling bass tones. Clocking in at just under four minutes, the opening track flies by and, thanks in part to its particularly memorable chorus, things are off to a thrilling start.
Next up is the standout track ‘Chains’, which begins with a floating, mellow intro underpinned by squealing lead guitars before exploding into pure nu-metal goodness with a piercing shriek of ‘ALIVE’ from vocalist Charlie Hewitt. For the first time, the clear influence of Deftones can be heard on the verses of this track before Hewitt offers up a chorus vocal melody that is such an excellent mixture of being both beautiful and spectral; Chino Moreno himself would be proud of it.
Proceedings are slowed down dramatically with third track ‘Sex’, which, whilst bringing the energy down, amps up the Deftones inspiration even further for what is a little under three minutes of melodic, atmospheric exploration. Hewitt is once again the standout here, highlighting his ability to show restraint when needed but also adding an increased emotional depth that hasn’t been seen to this degree so far on the EP. Guitarists Joe Mayer and Scott Pinnington deserve props here too as they combine gentle, plucked riffs and natural harmonics in what makes for a mesmerising soundscape.
Following on from this is the previously released single ‘Mercy’, a track that centres around ideas of isolation and insular thinking, with the band’s frontman commenting how it can be ‘a struggle not to just introvert yourself so much that you let nobody in at all’, themes that are mirrored throughout by self-reflective lyrics that seek redemption. ‘This song is about trying to break down those self-imposed barriers. It’s about learning to cope when feelings of self-loathing creep in’ Hewitt adds. Make no mistake though; ‘Mercy’ is not a self-depreciating dirge. It is a pounding, urgent song that combines abrasive riffs and impassioned screams, with a refrain of ‘mirrors of eyes all staring back’ that is sure to sound monolithic on the bands upcoming UK tour and end-of-summer festival showing at Derbyshire’s Bloodstock Open Air.
“This song is about trying to break down those self-imposed barriers. It’s about learning to cope when feelings of self-loathing creep in.”
Bringing things to a close is perhaps the EP’s most impactful track ‘No One’. Beginning with a guitar combination of punchy rhythms, screeching leads and pounding drums from Matty Clarke, the closer erupts into the band’s now-familiar nu-metal chugs before offering up a grunge-tinged vocal melody of ‘I don’t wanna be no one’ (another one to howl along to when the band take this material on the road). A subdued middle section, that sees Hewitt’s ponder themes of abandonment and is underpinned by KoRn-esque guitar work, leads into the song’s final blowout of hammering riffs and unrestrained shrieks and with it, Black Coast ensure that listeners are already reaching for repeat on their listening device.
Having built on the success of their debut release last year, Black Coast’s self-titled EP contains the essence of a band assured in their sound yet continuing to push themselves into new directions and whether that is through exploration of more complex lyrical themes or increased instrumental proficiency, Black Coast are successfully combining their influences to produce memorable modern metal. Whilst they are not completely reinventing the wheel with this release, they are definitely showing heaps of promise whilst doing the thing they do to an excellent standard.