Coscradh - Mesradh Machae - 7" vinyl

Still one of Ireland's best-kept secrets if only because they've yet to release a full-length, COSCRADH continue their ascent into blackened death's darkest depths with another short 'n' swift assault: Mesradh Machae (The Heads of the Men Who Have Been Slaughtered). Those who've thrilled to the band's debut demo in 2016 and especially the Of Death and Delirium EP the following year - both through Irish stronghold INVICTUS, natch - will be bloody chuffed by this two-song assault. Colorfully encompassing both the cover art and EP title, here COSCRADH swarm with a fury that's utterly hideous and even gnarlier than those acclaimed predecessors. Everything across this EP just sounds twisted and horrific and WRONG; this may fall within the milieu of "black metal" and/or "death metal," but the ragged psychosis the quartet establish here suggests possibilities too terrible to contemplate.

Some bands wimp out as they go along - or "refine" their sensibilities, sometimes one and the same - but not for COSCRADH: if anything, they're far uglier and dangerous than they were before. Good thing, then, that Mesradh Machae is but 13 unlucky minutes...any more than that and you'd be obliterated. As that inevitable debut album slowly rears its head, COSCRADH succinctly explore their basest desires with this short/sharp/shocked EP!