OX
Relapse
OX is the comeback album for metalcore titans Coalesce. This isn’t a comeback in a they-were-never-successful-and-are-giving-it-one-more-shot, Anvil sort of way. No, this is a comeback in a they-never-should-have-split-up-in-the-first-place sort of way. This is around the 800th break-up and reunion for Jes, Sean, and the Nathans and (hopefully) they’re here to stay this time. Ten years after the release of 012: Revolution in Just Listening, Coalesce is here to put all the chumps and suckas in check.
Turning 30 hasn’t chilled out these dudes at all. The band that once put the physics in hardcore has now put their collective fist into the face of rock and roll and it’s about flipping time that someone did. Recorded in Kansas with long-time collaborator Ed Rose, OX is as angular and jagged as any past Coalesce material but the resulting album is more refined. Before anyone has a panic attack, this is not the result of any studio polish. If anything, they sound rawer now.
No, Coalesce is the rare band that is getting better with age. I love Mastodon but the riffs and the changes on OX puts Crack the Skye to shame. Everything on this record, every lick, every kick/snare pattern, everything; is written and played for maximum effect. OX molests your ears and buys you ice cream afterwards. This is one of the finest examples of musicianship in extreme music.
OX is the best Coalesce record since Functioning on Impatience; which puts it in the running for their best. All of you need this album. If any of you plan on attending November’s Fun, Fun, Fun Fest in Austin, this is THE band you must see.
Coalesce – OX
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