The album title “Thick as a Brick” is already taken and far too distinctive to repurpose for a record in the year 2026. Sorry, Coscradh, because their new album “Carving the Causeway to the Other World” easily could have snagged that as a title and no one would have batted an eye otherwise.
But that title would be a fitting descriptor of the music itself and not the lyrical content contained within, which deals more with heritage and mysticism, stuff that’s steeped so far in the past it’s only really accessible in books or movies or records such as these. Instead, the band went with “Carving the Causeway to the Other World,” which also works. The band—vocalist/guitarist Ciarán Ó Críodáin, bassist/vocalist Hick Ó Aodha, guitarist/synth player Jason Keane, drummer Boban Burger—treats these tracks like a war god seeking vengeance on humanity. Could you blame them? The playing is relentless, impenetrable, often hard to predict, which makes this one that challenges your expectations and psyche. Don’t expect catchy riffs and sing-along choruses. Do expect to be beaten to a pulp.
“Five Fifths Awaken” creaks, settling into sooty guitars and the start of a viscous obliteration that sprawls over the entire record. Howls circle, the humidity rises, and the intensity burns with menace into “Carving the Causeway to the Otherworld” that retches and rattles bones. The playing engulfs, guitars scorching, the speed hitting harder, melting with volcanic power. The pressure assaults brains, feeling like a force that cannot be halted, making psyches burn intensely. “Adhradh Dé Ghoac” has guitars stirring and the vocals torching, racing to buzzing ferocity that suffocates. The pace chugs and warps, spilling relentlessly as the beating continues with no end in sight, speed eventually defacing before spacey strangeness lands. The path pummels, a mass of chaos surrounding and increasing the temperatures, wild screams burning into your brain. “Caesar’s Revelation (Hibernia L. VI V. XIV ad XVI et XXIV)” zaps to life, fast and monstrous, howls hitting crazed levels as the strangling leads unload. Whirry synth takes over, the tempo hitting new levels of ferocity, stampeding and fading into a ghostly fog.
“The Calling” is a quick breather that very much is needed at this point, considering the war-torn chaos that preceded this, bringing you back with horns, eerie and dusty melodies, and a phantom heading into “Scythe of Saturn” that wreaks and breathes fire from the start. Guitars explode, a nasty flash that temporarily robs of sight, gurgling growls spitting venom. The playing gets even more aggressive, mentally and physically slaughtering, hazy guitars sinking into the mix, the battle re-opening and delivering merciless devastation. “Badhah’s Shadows” fires up, the vocals choking, guitars torching as they overpower. The playing gallops harder, bringing pressure that squeezes life from your lungs, agitating audio violence that spirals in a flurry and ends in steely madness. Closer “Opening the Gates to Styx, Nix, Kerberos and Hydra” runs 9:33, the longest track here, and it opens with guitars boiling, the growls engorging, and a speedy dash electrifying. The pace comes unglued, zany terror raining down, then it’s on to a tempered section where you might get a breath but still face brutality. Tornadic storming activates as the final moments succumb to otherworldly soundscapes, disappearing into a snarling fog.
“Carving the Causeway to the Other World” is dense, violent, and flooding with ancient mythology and relentless war, an album that might take several tries before it sinks in. Coscradh doesn’t spoon-feed catchy riffs and memorable hooks; they drag you deep into the past when wars were fought under the guise of the gods, and many warriors bled out in the dirt. This album feels like witnessing those battles again, leaving you breathless and bruised once this destroyer comes to an end.
For more on the band, go here: https://coscradh.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/coscradh
For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/
Meat Mead Metal 