CHARNEL VISIONS review - Pure Evil

(Reviewed by Melody Werner)

Charnel Visions is a 2020 black metal/crustgrind album by Coffin Nail. Coffin Nail is a project operated by Florida's Vok, which has been tearing ears off with powerful, politically-charged metal inspired by the likes of early days Cannibal Corpse and Bolt Thrower. I found out about this album through the r/RABM subreddit, which is a great place to find out about black metal bands that aren't run by Nazis. They mostly bump bands run by anarchists and other communists/far leftists, as well as ones run by indigenous people. Since I'm a loathsome anarchist, I've been lurking there for a few weeks (at time of writing) and they convinced me that I wanted to try black metal out again after I bounced off of two albums that are generally considered great entry points into black metal but which consist of some unsavory sorts (Deafheaven's Sunbather, Behemoth's The Satanist), so I asked the sub's users about some good introductory RABM (or black metal whose bands are really, really safe). This was recommended by ZeroThePenguin, and was the first album I tried from those recommended. I mean, what better way to truly dig my teeth into this subgenre than a fantastic LP like this?

 

Charnel Visions from start to finish is a relentlessly brutal and visceral listen, with guitars which roar, pummeling drums, and vocals that are more like having fire directly breathed into your face. Aside from solos by "Axe Crazy" featured artist Stormcvnt, the instrumentals are all courtesy of Vok. While this is not uncommon in black metal, it's still incredibly impressive just how concussive and breakneck this album is. The performances, owing to the crustpunk/grindcore influences, are blisteringly fast-paced and pull no punches. However, in black metal, I must warn newcomers that vocals are typically used more as instruments or to add atmosphere--Coffin Nail's shrill debut album is free of catchy hooks, even if the shredding instrumentals can absolutely be headbanged to. Not that catchy hooks are a bad thing, I obviously enjoy a lot of music because of them; but that's not what this album is for, so take that into consideration if you do decide to spin this. Oh, and major kudos to CVSPE (@CVSPE on Instagram) for that grisly, horrifying album art.

Charnel Visions is an obscenely good, explosive album that has definitely proven to me that black metal is not a genre I'd ought to write off entirely as I am fully in the right to do with metalcore. It's the kinda stuff that'll split ears and could never, ever, ever be a mainstream commodity--but that's the point, isn't it? So, I have two things I'd like to recommend, besides this album: 1) check out r/RABM, if you will. They're great folks, and I'll be passing on some more recommendations from there soon enough. 2) Coffin Nail's Echo State is worth checking out on Bandcamp, as all funds will go towards bail relief efforts for those arrested by the fascist fucking pigs that have us all having to acknowledge that, yes actually, Black Lives Matter. So yeah, uh, hopefully there's not too much tonal whiplash as I say that Charnel Visions gets a 9.5/10 from me. It's caked in blood, a raw and cursed album for those who don't mind journeying over into the dark side.

Must-listen

Summary:

Black metal is no longer something I'll be straining to avoid, after listening to this punchy, macabre beast of an LP.