Coilguns started off in 2010 as a side project made up of three members of German prog-metal giants The Ocean as an outlet for their love of punk and hardcore. According to their bio, they wanted to make ‘fast and simple’ music. With ‘Millennials’ they’ve definitely ticked the first box but they couldn’t be further from the second.
Opening track ‘Anchorite’ begins with deranged guitar lines and tribal drum patterns before vocalist Louis Jucker compliments them with his impassioned howl. Everything feels incredibly grainy and raw, unsurprising considering it was recorded live and uncut, and this adds to the bleak atmosphere the track creates. This steady mid-pace continues until the album’s eponymous track, which takes things up a gear into straight hardcore punk territory in the vein of Birds In Row or Sex Positions. Halfway through this raucous number there’s a brief pause for breath, before diving back into a punk-rock barrage that gradually crumbles into noise and feedback, leading into the cyclical, drum-heavy churn of ‘Spectrogram’.
Clocking in at almost six and a half minutes, ‘Spectogram’ reminds us that whilst Coilguns are a punk band at their core, their roots are in experimental and progressive music. This gives them an edge in being able to create longer tracks without them losing the listener’s interest. The subtle keys and samples carry the track as the drums build into the frenetic ‘Music Circus Clown Care’, which along with the riff-laden ‘Blackboxing’ showcases the band at their most chaotic.
‘Millennials’ carries a list of influences that stretches way out of sight. It’s a hardcore punk record, no doubt about that, but there are hints of noise rock, mathcore, post-rock and other genres that swirl together to make this excellent but slightly baffling album. It’s best enjoyed as a single piece of music; the tracks bleed into one another in a positive way as the listener is immersed in the sheer density of the record. The musicianship, particularly the drumming, is excellent throughout. There’s nothing showy happening but it’s also never predictable.
Coilguns may have started as a side project but the quality of ‘Millennials’ is that of a full time band. It’s not an easy listen at first but it’s worth investing in to find all the nuances that make it one of the most interesting and unique releases of 2018 so far.
LIAM KNOWLES