COMA are a Pittsburgh doom metal quartet who released their latest album, PAIN IS THE RITUAL, in July.
The ten-tracker is full of grainy textures, gnarled guitar riffs, and anguished vocals, the musical ingredients combining to form fast-paced stomps, dolorous dirges, and gentle instrumentals alike. “Fear is the pain (of intent)” starts on a rollicking note, with swashbuckling licks and drums that trample all in their path, before grinding itself down to about half the original tempo, a signal that things are going to get very sludgy indeed. This section’s menacing guitar, unleashed via plodding grooves and roiling, midrange solos, recalls Throwdown’s Godsmack album, while a distorted bass interlude brings the proceedings all the way down to the dirt. Vocalist andrw fx howls, “For holy bliss comes with parity/And soothes the anguish of the soul,” finally finding salvation in the musical inferno. COMA are currently on indefinite hiatus, but PAIN IS THE RITUAL leaves a mark that lingers on.
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