Review by JD on September 20, 2012.

I went into doing the review of UK’s Eye Of Solitude with a sense of true and honest excitement. I have to explain that this is one band that I had been hearing a major amounts if buzz about for a long time. Internet and friends have been liking them to Doom Gods My Dying Bride meets in a way the mighty Death. Being the good and very curious headbanger (as well as a good journalist) I was glad to have the chance to review this band.

Finding myself very intrigued as the first track hit with astonishing force, Eye Of Solitude struck me as very interesting indeed. Symphonic and Atmospheric Doom Metal collided with my cerebellum and hit the pleasure spots in my mind. Large, heavy and deep - musically they are brutal and haunting as their slow pounding rhythms and slow Death Metal growls invade your soul. Ahhh, I feel it.

Most of the songs are very well put together, even though the Death Metal vocals used here seem out of place in spots, but the music itself seems to come through dispite that single yet little weakness. The one track on the CD that got me the most excited was the thirteen minute and fourteen second opus 'Those Who Don’t Return'. It reached out and gripped me in its siren song while taking me on its dark tale of musical despondency. This one track alone, made me a fan of Eye Of Solitude.

Talent like this is one of the most incredible of finds and should be touted loudly. I see a bright future, especially if they back off on the Death Metal grunts and go more clean... with it higher in the mix. That is what I hear, a band that is nearly perfect, but needs to do a little bit of retooling to make it even better. I love to see where a near perfect band can take their music next.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9.5
Atmosphere: 10
Production: 8
Originality: 9.5
Overall: 9.5

Rating: 9.3 out of 10

Review by Alex Grindor on August 31, 2021.

Funeral doom is a difficult art to craft and perform, even since the very first practitioners. For many, having extremely drawn-out stretched songs may be a difficult chore, as it must be done in a way that ensnares the curious listener to the point he focusses completely on the music. Thergothon, Disembowelment, Ahab are just a few names that pop in my mind when I'm asked about funeral doom bands and what they convey, and I'm glad to say that Coffin Breath is a new and welcome addition to the hope-crushing, soul-rending atmospheric voyage that encompasses funeral doom.

With just 2 tracks, Coffin Breath exhales their brand of suffocating pestilence in the rawest form possible, yet this does not mean that these two compositions are simple or overly repetitive in any way. The key element here is the absolutely oppressive, asphyxiating atmosphere attained in these tracks, with each instrument perfectly balanced in the mix to achieve it so. The guitars are really heavy and low, yet they're mixed with a level of clarity that makes every riff and every harmonization distinguishable and crushing. The bass adds its weight to the slow crawl of the guitar’s riffs, always keeping up with the guitars yet shining on its own for brief moments. Drums are absolutely pummeling, never going to extreme speeds but rather using a more controlled approach as it is meant to in this particular style, with a variety of drum fills here and there but always being a crawling leviathan in its approach. Last but not least, the vocals, which are done in the standard death growl style as it is usually done in this sub-genre. The vocal delivery is powerful and accentuates the music's atmosphere perfectly, while also using high shrieks and one particular segment at the end of track 2 that is more "spoken word" than anything else.

It is the sum of all these excellent parts that make for an awesome release. Even with 2 tracks, it's about 20 minutes long and worth every damn second of it. Despite the songs' length the tracks never feel boring or repetitive and the end result is captivating and suffocating in equal parts. While this demo was released on May 3rd, 2021 it has been recently issued on cassette by Seed Of Doom records, so if you can, grab your tape and let the foul Coffin Breath be expelled for your disgusting delight.

Rating: 9 out of 10