The very depths of the underground make for an unseemly beast that only the mad seek to dive into with the hopes of finding something more obscene and grotesque than anything else that’s come before it. For such excavators, the typical hotspots like Scandinavia, the United States, and pockets of Europe are nothing short of bountiful, but the tide is certainly turning in many places across the world. There are very few countries in the world now that don’t have some sort of burgeoning scenes that are worth paying attention to now, and Ireland certainly has to be one of the more intriguing in my opinion. The Irish have never been too far from greatness in the metal underground, but it’s in recent years that we’ve seen that growth has undergone expansion exponential. As if to single-handedly increase the levels of depravity, the debut full-length album from Coscradh is proof that the Land of Saints and Scholars has more than enough darkness to throw around.

Given what the recent years have done for the Irish reputation when it comes to extreme metal, I would be absolutely dumbfounded if someone were to come up to me and make the claim that the island has not much to its underground scene. My experience with it tends to land me in the realms of doom metal, but it’s always been evident that there is far more to be had within its depths and Coscradh is but one name that offers proof of that very concept, yet it’s in every way that they take it to viciously evil levels of raw, unfettered madness. This is one of the most voracious slabs of untold darkness laden in some of the thickest murk that I’ve seen in well over a year with the very title of “Nahadagan Stadial” lending the perfect visual for such an apocalyptic sound: an Irish-born visage of one of the last great offensives of ice upon ancient Ireland where the very sun became blotted out and the ocean itself rose in an attempt to consume the island. In every possible way, the five tracks and 41 minutes of “Nahadagan Stadial” do nothing but justice for both its namesake and the cataclysmic power of Coscradh. This is an utterly powerful concoction of black and death metal in a truly potent display of madness that burrows its way into the listener’s brain to destroy from within whilst the band simultaneously beats them upside the head to render wounds externally, as well. It all makes for a jaw-droppingly evil performance that is an absolute dream to lose yourself in as the very world seems to be ending for the entirety of “Nahadagan Stadial” and the reign of Coscradh begins with their word absolute law; domination, darkness, and heads rolling as far as the eye can see.

Certifiably, there are more bands out there in the darkest corners of the Irish underground that are worthy of investigation much like the creation that we have here, but it is in every way that Coscradh needs to be heralded as a fresh name that demands to be seen at the very front of such an offensive for the Irish. Such a performance drives me to make claims such as them being the Irish Triumvir Foul, but that would be to downplay the true grandeur of what a work like “Nahadagan Stadial” brings to the table despite how tempting it may be. Right unto the ending that’s as bleak and murderous as could be, there future may be a dead end for us, but it is ripe for Coscradh’s taking should they simply sharpen their cleavers and go for the throat.

LISTEN to “Nahadagan Stadial” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Cosrcadh on Facebook here.