Review by Adam M on November 22, 2025.

This was a fantastic album that brought the band into a different dimension with an extended scope and more epic structures to their songs. It is very long and one of the more ambitious of their albums. The long length of two discs allows the band to experiment and come up with tracks that are interesting and compelling to listen to.

The musicianship on the work is very excellent with strong use of guitars in an atmospheric manner and a great singing performance by Anneke Van Giersbergen. It all comes together with great production to craft an exciting and immersive sound. Fans of the bands later material in particular will like it.

In terms of flaws, there is not as much of a modern sound as on recent album and the work is lacking in the charisma of earlier efforts. Still, this is a thoughtful and interesting work that is one of the premier female-fronted metal albums around. It is epic in scope and manages to make its own niche rather well. 

In conclusion, the album is a venerable force of progressive atmospheric metal and one of the best female oriented albums to be found. Fans of bands like Within Temptation will like it, but also fans of atmospheric acts like Anathema and Katatonia. All in all, this is one of the best albums of the style and highly worth a listen.

Rating: 7.9 out of 10

Review by Adam on March 20, 2001.

And with this album they offer you even more for you money. This is a two-cd set collection of 14 tracks for enjoyable atmospheric melodic type rock and roll to soothe even the most angry and evil metal fan. Anneke van Giersbergen's voice is as powerful than ever, and she graces each song she is in with a moody yet sensational presence. The album's music is still no match for that which was included on The Gathering's previous cd Nighttime Birds, but is still as soothing and ,at times, hard as ever. So do yourself a favor and have yourself wisked away into the delightful world of The Gathering

Bottom Line: If you like music and you are an adventurous metal listener, then buy this album with an open mind and enjoy!

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Sam on October 27, 2026.

Gotta say I’m a bit perplexed by the lukewarm response to this album, as indicated by its average score here. Although Coffins is not known for originality, they most definitely serve up their blend of archaic doom/death with a heaping scoop of conviction. These dudes know what they’re about and they execute it with supreme confidence. Two of the previous reviewers were unable to come up with their own title for their respective articles, so let’s see if we can go a little bit beyond the surface of this fearsome foursome.

Coffins does blunt trauma in the vein of ancient Hellhammer or early Celtic Frost, with a heavy penchant for doom, and these slow, sludgy portions are where the Japanese excel. The foetid and purulent sounds of the intro to the opening track Here Comes Perdition set the stage perfectly for this old-school bludgeoning, while simultaneously describing the grim cover illustration of a necromancer in his ossuary. The guys obviously worship at the altar of Sabbath and Saint Vitus, but you will always find a healthy dose of d-beats in their output, which is indeed what propels the first verse of this opening volley. Bassist Koreeda supplies sickening backup vocals here, which adds a lovely dynamic to the low gutturals of main man Uchino. Towards the song’s end, we are even treated to a rather Iommi-esque piece of lead guitar work. If you are a fan of the early to mid-80s doom movement, you will like this, I promise.

Hellbringer is a kind of nondescript track that sort of passes in and out of the ears without sticking, as it indicates an appreciation for punk, but when we reach The Colossal Hole, the festering and dread-inducing doom gnashes its terrible teeth, complete with Sabbathian guitar trills. This is a lumbering brute that mostly keeps its foot off the gas pedal, which, as I mentioned, is where the quartet truly shines beneath their black sun. The guitar tone is fat and filthy, and the voice of Uchino is quite monstrous in its delivery of apocalyptic ruin.

Rotten Disciples erupts from the speakers with 32nd note double bass destruction, then kicks it into high gear with what I call the shit-eating grin beat. Drummer Satoshi doesn’t do anything flashy, but that’s kind of the point with Coffins. What he does do is provide the required sturdy foundation for the wall of sound created by the low and punishing guitars and vocals. The Unhallowed Tide reeks of Satanic Rites with its kinda sloppy musicianship, and at about two minutes in we are plunged to the bottom of the abyss with a sinister and creeping bass guitar break. When this band plays slow and crushingly, one can’t help but be reminded of the first two Autopsy albums, especially here, as Uchino’s regurgitations would put a smile on the face of Chris Reifert.

So yeah, Coffins aren’t doing anything new, but they are perfectly aware of this fact, and their execution of ancestor worship is coated in just enough of their own unique slime and viscera to make a believer of any modern-day old-school metalhead. It’s all been done before anyway, since like 1986, so personally I enjoy formations of the current millennium who wear their influences across their chests, as long as they play with conviction. Besides, Coffins clearly do not care what you or I think about them.

Rating: 8.8 out of 10

Review by Felix on October 27, 2026.

Usually, I boycott albums with completely shitty artwork. However, for whatever reason, I forgot this rule for a moment. That was the moment when I ordered The Fleshland with its magnificent cover, a masterpiece of art for wannabes and douchebags! But surprise, surprise, my beautiful head is still on my neck, and nobody has shown any interest in ripping out my guts. Thus, I can pay full attention to the fourth full-length album by Coffins.

The geographically unknown fleshland awaits the listener with the droning sounds of a colossus that needs some time to reach its full size. Yet after the warm-up period, the first riff channels the energy of this monster. The dull yet voluminous sound, the extremely low-tuned guitars, and the lead vocalist's constantly deep, nearly absurd growling leave no doubt that we're listening to an album with a very strict orientation. Coffins' campaign against musicality knows no compromises. Purulence meets blood, and the result is nothing for gourmets. At the end of the opening death metal steamroller, the band accidentally creates a (primitive yet strong) melody, but such signs of flabbiness should not be overrated. Most parts of the album are free from any kind of harmonic sounds. Nevertheless, the dudes sometimes manage to put together songs with a surprisingly good flow. The final parts of the pretty strong "Rotten Disciples" are particularly worth mentioning in this context.

However, let's get back to the beginning. Introduced by a rather obscure intro (the sounds of an air raid meet a heavily breathing monster), "Here Comes Perdition" makes for a great opener. Moreover, the next highlight is not long in coming. "Hellbringer" sounds like the soundtrack to the next excursion with a Kamikaze fighter squadron. It is belligerent and compact, lethal and/or suicidal. A violent behemoth, almost chaotic but still focused on destruction. Songs like this don't wriggle their way around anything; they are absolutely direct and powerful, with the result that any kind of barricade crumbles as soon as the sonic bullets start flying. After these two detonations, it takes some time before Coffins reveal their final wonder weapon. The closing track, "Tormentopia", has a catchy chorus. I'm not lying: it's ugly, mean, and repulsive, but catchy nonetheless. To put it in a slightly confusing way, Coffins' approach offers no options for variation, but they make good use of those options.

Between the two openers and the closer lie half a dozen eruptions that underline why M-A classifies this Japanese powerhouse as doom/death metal. Utterly sluggish, cumbersome, and slow: these attributes describe songs like "The Colossal Hole", which have the power to enthuse the entire doom community. (Yes, I mean you, the guys with the impressive bellies and the thin, long hair.) Other tracks attack at a higher speed, while morbid guitar solos, such as the one in "No Saviour", add the final touch. The Dutch combat unit known as Asphyx doesn't produce pretty sounds, but here we have an uglier version of the ugly music made by van Drunen's murderous quartet. Perverted Obituary might also be an appropriate name for this.

I probably don't understand the full glory of extreme death metal, and therefore I believe metal would have been dead for decades if these sounds had become its trademark. Furthermore, I would never listen to this kind of structured noise for an entire day, because sometimes it suffers slightly from an inherent stupidity born of its narrow-mindedness. Last but not least, I now understand why so many earthquakes are recorded in Japan. Nonetheless, I'm happy to lend an ear to "The Fleshland" every now and then for its omnipresent brutality, as long as my head is still on my neck.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10

Review by JD on July 22, 2013.

Japan has been known for trying to do things just a little different than the rest of the world usually does, unblinkingly putting it in their own sort of spin on practically everything. A four piece outfit hailing from the always expanding Metropolis of Tokyo is such a band, redefining a style of extreme metal into their own concept.

Death/Doom outfit based in Tokyo Coffins is an act that certainly makes me sit up and take a very close look at them. I am intrigued with the musical landscape of Japan and this surprising act hits the top of my list. Heavy, ponderous riffs and acid vocals that are growling explosions of pure viciousness – Coffins certainly puts the term ‘Heavy’ back into Heavy Metal, to the tenth power and even beyond.

Out of the nine tracks that are on the album, I seem to gravitate to a couple in particular. One is the bulldozer like song 'The Colossal Hole' that proves that you can be so brutally heavy and yet have this sense of melody as well. The other track is the rather disturbingly harsh 'No Saviour' because of its strong Death Metal hook and intense Doom Metal breaks leaves you wanting more even as it is fading off at the end.

This album just might land on my top ten this year. I have never come across such a ultra-heavy album that holds such brutal combination of caustic lyrics and barbaric riffing that seems never to leave my playlist. With Coffins on a very smart label now, I think the next release just might vault them higher than they ever thought they might achieve. Doom/Death just might have new emperors to be the ones to beat.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 10
Production: 9
Originality 9.5
Overall: 9.5

Rating: 9.4 out of 10

Review by Roslyn G on June 30, 2013.

Coffins, the Death/Doom Metal kings are back with their new EP, "The Fleshlands". This is the bands fourth LP with an expected North American release date of July 9th, 2013. The metal kings will numb fans to the bone as they dominate the metal world with their memorizing riffs and terrorizing vocals.

Looking at the album cover makes one cringe and the title is less than appetizing. It is not long before the metal kings take listeners to hell. The first track, ‘Here Comes Perdition’ begins with a creepy, sinister instrumental that awakens listeners in hell, and drags them deeper with heavy guitar riffs and demonic vocals that chills the bone. The second track, ‘Hellbringer’ does not short change listeners and begins with a devilish scream that reminds listeners that hell is real, followed by swift percussion, and the electric guitar riffs that swallow the album down and deeper into hell. The album is dark and sinister, with a feeling of never-ending torment that at times is very numbing. The guitar riffs vary and do not fade into the same steady riffs, but include variations of elements through the album. As the album progresses, the feeling of being tormented and chased deeper into hell is prevalent.

The sounds on the album complement each other very well, from the deep, demonic vocals, to the crisp percussion, straight through to the varying guitar riffs. The album ends with the track, ‘Tormentopia,’ that gets inside your head and ‘torments’ you. The harsh, heavy, demonic sound of Coffins is not for everyone, but for those who dare to listen can expect one hell of a ride.

Conclusion. "The Fleshlands" will definitely surpass any previous album from Coffins, and if you like your music heavy, loud, and want to bang your head for days-this album is for you. And you just may have a few sleepless nights as well.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 8
Originality: 8
Overall: 8

Rating: 8 out of 10