Swamp Coffin return with their heaviest, most powerful songs yet on new album Drowning Glory due out on 27th September through APF Records.
The Rotherham sludge trio has just released ‘This Was Always Going To End In War’ as their second single from the album. Available digitally, you can check out the video here at RAMzine.
While outwardly this all appears to be good news, the album’s writing process was triggered by one conversation: “This band is f*cking cursed”. Sit down, and take a deep breath, because here comes the harrowing backdrop for what lead to those comments.
On 29th September 2021, the day before the launch of their debut full-length Noose Almighty, Swamp Coffin bass player Martyn White attempted to take his own life. Following his treatment and recovery, shortly before the album’s release in November that year, White’s father and vocalist/guitarist Jon Rhodes’ mother-in-law both passed away within hours of each other.
Step back further in time and you’ll find that the songs on Noose Almighty and 2019 EP Flatcap Bastard Features were motivated by the tragic death of Rhodes’ brother-in-law in 2017, on the day their first demo was to be recorded, and the house fire nine months later that left him and his family homeless.
The topics those records covered; mens’ mental health, grief and disenchantment, are built on and explored further than ever before on Drowning Glory, the lyrical content as honest and uncompromising as the riffs they’re set to, as Rhodes explained.
“It feels like a relief to be getting Drowning Glory out in to the world. This album finally puts to bed a lot of the grief and trauma that has hung over this band since its inception. The fact we’ve done it with the best songs we’ve ever written is the icing on the cake.
“It took a year from the release of Noose Almighty for us to even think about writing more music. The anger that fuelled both that album and the Flatcap EP just wasn’t there, everything that happened in late 2021 just left me numb to the idea of writing songs. Taking some time off really allowed my feelings to stew and when the motivation was finally there, all that pain I’d suppressed came flooding out.
“Memories of events from the last eight years, that I thought I’d come to terms with, all suddenly resurfaced and I think that’s evident in how relentlessly heavy these new songs are.”
The riffs are bigger, the grooves heavier and lean further in to their death metal and hardcore influences. This is a band baring their souls, as demonstrated with first single ‘Know You’re Worthless’.
“’Know You’re Worthless’ came together fairly early in the writing process but we knew straight away it had to be the album opener. Six minutes of filth, chugs and pinch harmonics. Lyrically it revolves around the question of when some people say ‘Know your worth’ are they really saying ‘Know your place’? The government, your job, abusive family or partners, anyone who might want to hold you down for their own gain. This song is basically telling those people to get f*cked.”
In the nearly three years since their debut, Swamp Coffin has gone from strength to strength. By bringing their downtuned sludge misery to stages across the country, the Rotherham trio has recruited members to their Bastard Club along the way, opening for the likes of Obituary, Crowbar, Conan and Bongzilla while laying siege at Bloodstock, Doomlines and tReality Unfolds festivals.
Drowning Glory is released on 27th September via APF Records and can be ordered here. You can check out the video for ‘Know You’re Worthless’ here at RAMzine and catch them live at the fixtures listed below.
SWAMP COFFIN LIVE DATES W/ A HORSE CALLED WAR:
12th September – Rotherham, The Bridge Inn/The Hive
13th September – Leicester, The Metal Monocle
14th September – London, The Dev
21st September – Birmingham, Dead Wax Digbeth
