So a member of (our)  TOTD forum asked me if I could review this band–that has some friends of his in Japan–as they are excited for some possible international exposure. I agreed. Though, I admit to not expecting much, but I’ll do a favor for a longtime reader — even if the CD was released last year. It turns out, though, that COHOL‘s Deepend Flaw in the Dark is actually rather good.

Though relapsed on a Japanese label and with Japanese song titles (even if I was able to find some loose translations), COHOL (standing for Crying Of Humanity On the Liturgy) don’t seem to carry any of that inherent  Japanese quirkiness or weirdness. Instead, the band goes for a no-nonsense, direct form of slightly progressive blackened metalcore, that reminds me a little of Heaven Shall Burn or As Hope Dies (I get a very strong “Legions Bow to Faceless God” vibe at times) with a slight frosty black metal sheen.

Comprised of three very competent musicians (Hiromasa [bass/vocals], Itaru [vocals/guitar] and Bomber [Drums]) and a perfectly competent and apt local production, the nine tracks (seven songs, one intro and one interlude) exude a confidence and knowledge of Western metal, both European and American. Japanese lyrics aside, the whole affair could have come from the East Coast or somewhere from Scandinavia with a robust but raw guitar tone that balances blackened fuzz and a sterner rhythm section. The vocals are a harsh black rasp (with the odd growl), making for most of the bristling black metal visage, but some very small injections of experimentation and progressive (acoustics, spoken words etc), litter the tracks with a sense of elegance here and there.

While all the tracks are solid, standouts have to be the second track “Cry Beyond the Mourned”, fierce “Beheaded Lies By False Charge”, the somber mid-paced number “Repetition”, which displays a surprising amount of control and clarity amid the rest of the ripping music. The chunkier “Under the Carbonized World” and “In Decay, They Fall” cement the Heaven Shall Burn comparison, but with higher register vocals. Overall, the album is just a quality album from start to finish.

“Deserted , and Waiting For…” ends the album with a rangy 6+ minute perfectly paced track that puts a varied and emotional end note to the album. It signifies that COHOL are more than a flash in the pan or some eccentric or overly done Japanese noise. They have a genuine passion and skill for a known genre and still manage to make it their own. Thus, I do hope that some sort of an international distro get s hold of these guys.

[Visit the band's website]

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