Coastlands

Has there been a band that has gone through a more stunning transformation over a period of a few years as Portland, Oregon’s Coastlands have? From their ambient origins to the delicate beauty of To be found to the surprising and thrilling aggression of 2018’s The Further Still, Coastlands has transformed into a beast that looks very little like it did when it first came into the world. On their new record Death, the only thing holding Coastlands back from being called a metal band is that people have grown so accustomed to thinking of them as post-rock. But make no mistake, in its vacuum Death is one of the most exciting and gloriously pummeling heavy records of 2020. Mixed and mastered by Kurt Ballou and Magnus Lindberg respectively, it’s a record of crushing weight and zero compromise. Whereas some bands say they want to explore their darker, heavier sides, Coastlands has dispensed with the talk and thoroughly done that, with spectacular results.