Title: Coughing Blood [EP]
Label: Godz ov War Productions
Release Date: 19 February 2018
Country: USA
GraveCoven is a black/death act out of California. Having released two demos, one in 2015 and one in 2016, as well as a cover of “Hades” from the first Bathory in 2016, GraveCoven have combined their work thus far onto a single EP being released under Godz ov War Productions. Since I had not heard the band before the EP’s release, I was unaware of what I was missing. The band fits comfortably in the palette of anyone who’s been enjoying Possession’s take on black/death, taking the chunky, Stockholm-style death metal riffs and blackening the songs over a blaze of hellfire. GraveCoven take it a step further, adding a bit more of the second-wave of black metal and a deeper, more resonating vocal approach. The songs are in the proper order of release, and show a leap in progression between the two demos. While all four original tracks are good, the second half (comprised of the Coughing Blood 2 demo) is more confident: its raw, bestial energy shows a lot of promise for the band. “The Ecstacy of Hatred” steals the show, with the best riffing and watertight rhythm section, peppered with the full use of interlayered death vocals and high-pitched wails and choral backing. The only part of the EP that comes across as a bit lukewarm is the aforementioned Bathory cover. It isn’t bad, and it is respectable that the band did it in their own style, but overall isn’t worth a fuss and just works as a nice B-side or rarity to add to a hopefully fruitful future discography. 8/10 By d00mfr0gg
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