If you’re in the mood for something that sounds like it crawled out of a swamp and immediately started punching people, you’re in luck. The Illinois-based slam trio Coagulating have just dropped their long-awaited return, Deciphering My Scalded Creation, and it’s a bit of a beast.
Out now via Iron Fortress Records, the new EP is available on CD, digital, and cassette for those of you who like your physical media to feel as retro as the riffs. The band has packed six tracks of absolute grime into this release. The press materials describe the sound as “basement-fermented”, which is frankly a cracking description for this sort of noise. It’s unpolished, raw, and heavy enough to crack the pavement.
Musically, Coagulating aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel here; they’re just making it square and rolling it over your face. Expect the classic slam staples: chugging riffs that hit like a hammer, drums that rattle your fillings, and vocals that switch between low-end gurgles and piercing shrieks. It’s dense, sludgy stuff that sits nicely alongside genre heavyweights like Devourment, Internal Bleeding, and Dehumanized.
To add to the atmosphere, they’ve thrown in the obligatory horror samples and serial killer quotes. It wouldn’t really be a proper slam record without them, would it? It all helps to create that claustrophobic, nightmarish vibe that the genre is famous for. If you like your music to make you feel slightly grim, this is definitely for you.
The record was mixed by Casey Rauch, with artwork provided by Xtermination Zone—which looks exactly as gruesome as you’d hope. Max McMullen handled the logo design, keeping things suitably illegible and spiky.
You can stream the full EP below or head over to the Iron Fortress Records store to grab a physical copy before they sell out.
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Coagulating: instagram | spotify | bandcamp
