Review by Felix on March 27, 2020.

A good album is always both a blessing and a curse when it comes to the creation of its successor. Aggravating the situation, things don’t get easier in case of a massive line-up change. Mark and Peter Brabbs had left the band and neither Cliff Evans nor the new drummer gained song-writing credits. Thus, Algy and Mick had to manage a Herculean task. Six new own compositions were the result of the creative process – and they delivered more or less the afterburner to This Means War. The opener 'The War Drags Ever On' reaches a good quality level, but simultaneously it sounds like 'Just Like Something from Hell Part II'. Its vibrations are very similar to those of the first piece of Tank’s album from 1983. So, this is my main problem with Honour & Blood: it holds good songs, but all of them have already appeared in slightly different versions. The equal arrangement of the track list (three songs on the A, four songs on the B side, an opener which crosses the eight-minutes-mark and the title track on the third position) underlines the short distance between the two albums.

I said that Honour & Blood presents good material and due to the formidable education my mother gave me, I did not lie. Nevertheless, the musicians present themselves in a pretty melancholic mood ('W.M.L.A.'), they drag themselves through six minutes of solid yet somehow slightly uninspired old-men-melodies ('When All Hell Freezes Over') or they fall victim to the repetitiveness of their own compositions ('Kill'). Especially the overlong closer is not immune against lukewarm rhythms and does not add much value to the fourth work of the band. The other tracks are, despite their improvable configuration, still pretty strong, but it also must be said that the cover version on the fourth positions is among the best pieces of the album. Its chorus (“Cha-cha-chain, cha-cha-chain, chain of fools”) finds its place in the long-term memory of the listener immediately. Generally speaking, with the exception of 'The War Drags Ever On', there are not many songs that I would pick out for a best-of mix tape of Tank. Of course, 'Too Tired to Wait for Love' is more aggressive and better than its title indicates and generally speaking, the material does not suffer from unforgivable mistakes. Most riffs reflect the compositional class of Tucker and Ward. Nevertheless, I thought that Tank did not intend to write the same album twice, but it seems that I was wrong.

Despite its slightly irritating title, it is a matter of course that Honour & Blood has nothing in common with any form of skinhead-ideology (if we accept that these dudes have an ideology at all, maybe they just connect crude thoughts to a wrong result). The lyrics mainly deal with the usual war themes which are complemented by two, well, love songs (without any kind of kitschy elements). Okay, to sing against the “mad sons of Islam” would have been dangerous for every German band, because at least 50% of the media would have blamed them for being Nazis. Lucky England! However, all in all, the lyrics are not the crucial factor of the adequately produced album. Once again, it sounded slightly polished while avoiding sterility. And this was the final parallel between This Means War and Honour & Blood.

Rating: 7.2 out of 10

Review by Alex on December 10, 2019.

Obviously if you like Immolation, Possessed or Morbid Angel you'll have more than enough to fill your guts with Coffin Curse's debut full length, "Ceased To Be". Since the 90s left and the 2000s came strolling in with pants-sagging alleged metalheads, bouncing when walking and such; the genuine could tell metal was at the time an endangered species coming all too close to have its identity totally diluted by undesirable others. As death metal bands apart from the top tier started gaining the attention of Relapse and friends, pockets started filling thus the gold tinted visions of many an "inspired" asshole (mostly in America) began to carve out their own deadbeat versions of Suffocation, Immolation, Possessed and Morbid Angel. In some ways it felt like the financial success of the 80s would be making a return; however, this time the beneficiaries would be the guys singing about gore, death, zombies and conspiracy theories among the usual themes. However, that was not to be the case, instead of floating in riches (loosely implied), their coin filled desired faded; most try-hards sucked, retreated underground and attempted to blend in with familiars, but even then they were mistaken as their relevance would shrink amidst the glorious stature of Incantation; etc., even more causing many of them to diminish without a trace. Coffin Curse may not fall into that category, however, had this been the early 2000s, chances of hearing about them would have been at its minimum.

You don't need to burst an eardrum trying to find the band touting their influences in this era, some are straight out copycats, however in Coffin Curse's case their drive is not the influence, instead it's the way those influences are incorporated into their produce. "Ceased To Be" offers 8 tracks that while conspicuously modeling in the garments of legends past and present, carries a facial makeup of their own just as noticeable as their borrowed clothing. Yes Immolation, Possessed and Morbid Angel, even a bit of Incantation are attendees at the ball, but Coffin Curse's identity pokes out amongst the big faces, like that $5 dollar bill somewhere in a pile of $50s and $100s that just happens to make its way to the front of the stack in your most desperate time, to not hold up the gypsy-bus line as the driver scrabbles change for your Benjamin. 'Gathered Unto Death' is proof counterfeit bills can get you the same possessions under the circumstances the vendor/customer does not care or is incapable of differentiating between authenticity and invalidity. Personally, I don't mind revisiting old fortunes as long as you demonstrate professionalism during the conduct, thus, it is highly emphasized on 'Gathered Unto Death' and henceforth. "Ceased To Be" is not nearly mediocre if you were misled into thinking so, unlike the plague of sub-par copycat Death bands that don't even have the necessary etiquette to eat the crumbs of such a great.

What can I say, "Ceased To Be" doesn't have 1 weak track, the vox are adequately deep and versatile, the guitars are played in adoration for the genre, the drumming is good, what more could anyone ask of a debut release from the Chileans? Ironically formed in 2012 (the year the world was supposed to end according to some folk) and have only now been tickled by the urge to put out a full-length record following some EPs and a demo. The wait translates to the material when you hear songs like 'Gathered Unto Death', 'Where Sickness Thrives' 'Chopped Clean Off' and 'Extinct'. Certainly not one of those cash-grab bands, if that were the case this would probably be their 7 full length release since formation. Songs on here are sensibly structured, carry followable flow and are filled with many a fist pumping moment. Sensational, absolutely sensational, Max Neira and Carlos Fuentes may have very well made and exemplary offering, complete with the mesmerizing artwork of Daniel Hermosilla, "Ceased To Be" is a flogging administered by competent hands unto many lazy and uninspired buttocks. Don't be surprised if your favorite crappy knocks off band ceases to be, after humiliated by Coffin Curse.

Rating: 8.7 out of 10