Coalesce - Ox

During the ’90s, Coalesce played the villain in a hardcore scene dominated by bands preaching positivity and unity. Their lyrics were malevolent and their music off-putting. While most of their peers sang about brotherhood or political consciousness, Coalesce mined the dark recesses of the human psyche.

The Villain We Won’t Deny
By What We Refuse

It’s hard to imagine ten years elapsing between 1999’s 012: Revolution in Just Listening and Ox (Relapse, 2009). The band retains the idiosyncratic approach to fusing hardcore and metal that seeded tech-metal and (ignominiously) metalcore. They sound as tight as spandex, the performances as sharp as Shun knives. Guitarist Jes Steineger possesses one of the most atypical styles in extreme music, fingering many of his serpentine riffs with a jarring wobble. It’s as if a nervous condition causes him to vibrate notes like a flicked spring. Sean Ingram’s signature roar sounds as bile-fueled as it did in his early 20’s. The Coalesce of 2009 is not too dissimilar to its 1999 self.

Bands influenced by Coalesce are younger, faster, meaner, and more complex. Clearly, the band has no desire to play catch up with greenhorns. Though they’ve constructed a strong return record, they won’t shift cultural ground as they did over a decade ago. But I’d still rather listen to Ox than a sub-par Coalesce clone.

Buy:
Amazon (MP3)
Willowtip (CD)
The End (CD, LP)
Relapse (CD, LP, shirt)