In my introduction to Coexistence, I figured I would talk about my introduction to Coexistence. Get it? I first found out about this band when their video for the track “Collateral Dimension,” also the title track of their debut album, randomly played on YouTube. I kind of knew what to expect when I saw the guitars without head stocks but was nonetheless intrigued. Technical death metal rarely does it for me, but I wanted to give this band a fair shake.

Yes, I am aware Beyond Creation has a track called “Coexistence,” but I’m sure they’re not the only ones. That’s definitely a good starting point, though. When “Metaphysical Essence” kicks in, you’ll notice the fretless bassadilla right away. You’ll also be aware of the production. While it’s not bad or out of the ordinary for tech death, it’s a little thin. The instruments are still audible, so it’s not a distraction (you can always turn up the volume). The track itself is not atypical of the technical death metal spectrum until about 3 minutes in where there’s a lead, a very Gojira-esque section, then a jazzy section, which makes me scream “That’s baby-making music, that’s what that is.” No “yazz” flute, though.

Would I spoil it now if I told you there was no “yazz” flute on the entire record? Sorry… The second track, “Symbiosis of Creation” continues the momentum from the first. This time, there’s a little more of a groove, although one could argue there’s not much difference between the two. There’s a tight, fantastic solo, as to be expected and that prevalent fretless bass is responsible for carrying the last minute or so of the track to its conclusion. I don’t know about you, but I am a big fan of the sound of the fretless bass and I think we should all come together to start a petition removing all fretted basses from existence.

To provide the bass some more room and not unlike many of their peers, Coexistence are prone to instrumental, borderline lounge music jam sessions, such as in “Eclipse” and “Revert.” The former has some extended jam sessions but is still tech death through and through. The latter, however, is basically a tale of two songs. The first half is tech death and the second is some chilled out, relaxing lounge music for those times where you’re at the casino and really pissed off, then decide to gamble away your life savings.

I wanted to mention one more track, which is the closer. “Floating in the Celestial Wave” takes a couple minutes to get going before the vocals kick in and the pedal gets stomped to the floor. I always like to mention the final track because this is frequently where bands will experiment. That’s not the case here. While it’s still a good track, there’s nothing new brought to the table.

With that in mind, I have some complaints. It’s a little long (if I had a nickel for each time I heard that, I would have ZERO nickels). It’s also formulaic at times. After continuous listens, I go back and forth between absolutely loving it and thinking it’s merely “good.” Of course, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Transcending Obscurity records, their label, deserves a mention here. If they release an album, it’s going to be worth the time. Their roster is full of exciting, incredible, talented heavy metal bands spanning multiple sub genres. They do their merch very well, too, including multiple varieties of CDs, vinyl, and apparel. I recommend browsing their roster. While you’re there, Coexistence’s debut might be a great place to start.

 

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments