Band : Coalesce
Album title : Ox
Record label : Relapse
Distributor : Rough Trade Benelux
Release date : 15/06/2009
Release : CD

Woaargh, this one I’ve been waiting for with a certain (say huge) degree of anticipation, and therefore I’ve been somewhat angry at our editor-in-chief’s spending of all his time as a representative for 2 labels at several of the festivals in June and early July…but Ox itselfhas not disappointed, not at all indeed! By the way, if you’re hoping to catch up on some Coalesce history, check out the reviews I did for the re-issues (both with bonus tracks) of the band’s Nothing New Under The Sun and 012:2 albums (posted 28/10/2007 and 22/06/2008). Re-issues which surely came into being thanks to the fact that the during 2005 re-activated band in the constellation Ingram, Steineger, Ellis and Richardson, finally appeared to have stabilized.

In spite of the fact that it’s been about a decade since Coalesce’s last recordings (for 1999’s 012: Revolution In Just Listening) the band’s sound hasn’t changed a bit! The boys are still as “Experimental” in their Hardcore as before. You’ll find ‘em incorporating a Rock Country passage (in “Wild Ox Moan”), playing overall calmer tracks (check “Designed To Break Down A Man”, the pace of which, combined with heavy music, is set out to slowly accomplish exactly what the title infers), and even doing short acoustic instrumentals (check “Where Satire Sours” and “We Have Lost Our Will” – the latter including the use of some piano and timpani? bells, possibly also a barely distorted electric guitar), or incorporating short weird passages within songs (check the acoustic guitar + cello instrumental bit during “The Purveyor Of Novelty And Nonsense”)! A lot of the recognition factor is of course for a large part due to Sean Ingram’s very specific vocal signature, but otherwise no-one will be able that this is a very Coalesce- sounding album overall! At myspace.com/coalesce, you’ll find enough material (4 songs off the new album, including that wacky “Wild Ox Moan” andtheabovementioned “The Purveyor…; plus a couple of older tracks) to check out what that means.

Coalesce may be an acquired taste in Hardcore, but it’s one I’ve considered to agree with me from the first time I ever heard anything by the band, and that’s why you should now not be surprised to find me catapulting Ox into the higher regions of my year-lists!!!

99/100

Tony.