Band : Cough
Album title : Ritual Abuse
Label : Relapse
Distributor : Rough Trade Benelux
Release date : 26/10/2010
Release : CD

Formed in 2005 and hailing from Richmond (Virginia), this quartet consisting of David Cisco, Parker Chandler, Joseph Arcaro, and Brandon Marcey (started out as a trio, apparently, or at least were so at the time of their full-length release – read on for details – and sorry if I cannot tell you their functions in the band all I was able to find out myself is that the first two deal with the vocals – the drummer, by the way, used to play with The Sword), first independently delivered their EP The Kingdom, and then saw their debut full-length Sigillum Luciferi (produced by Sanford Parker, whom is perhaps best known from his work with Psychedelic Black Metal act Nachtmystium) released through the small Forcefield Records imprint in 2008.

For their sophomore album (and Relapse debut) the band again joined forces with Parker, recording a fivesome of lengthy tracks (shortest one just under 7 minutes, another just under 10, the others all over 12 minutes in length) which can best be described as Blasphemic Sludge/ Doom. Vocals stylings are of a nature to comply with usual Sludge standards, being of the Blackened kind (high screams) for the most part (on this album an exception is made for the tracks “Crooked Spine”, which has “normal” clean vocals with a misanthropic tone of despair in 'em, and “A Year In Suffering”, which features both types of vocals). Having announced the release of their new album in June, the band set out on a 9-date tour of the East Coast with Elder. I'm sure the guys did some of the Summer festivals on the East Coast, and more recently they participated to the annual CMJ music fest (held across NY City in the week of October 19). In November the band sets off on a 4-week live campaign in the Southern states of the US, and on April Fools Day of next year they start a 6-week tour of Europe (dates for which are filled in as we speak – For Belgium one date's already confirmed, and that's for Liège on April 15 at Carlo Levi). Let's hope something can be arranged for the band to come and play a date somewhat closer to Leuven as well, because this is one band I would love to see play live!

To get a feel of their music, the lads posted a track (the aforementioned “Crooked Spine”) off the new album (alongside two off their debut full-length and an additional unreleased track they recorded in 2008) at myspace.com/cough666! My rating of the album? The full Monty, of course!

98/100

Tony.