Coscradh digs into the soil of their homeland and unearths hell on the scathing Carving the Causeway to the Otherworld.
Release Date: February 20, 2026 | 20 Buck Spin | Bandcamp | Instagram
For a genre that’s only been around just over half a century, metal truly thrives on looking into the deep past. Be it invocations of ancient myths, tales of ancient warriors, or records of violent class struggles long past; metal as a whole seems to get invigorated when looking back. The gentlemen in Dublin’s Coscradh are one such band, staring down the druidic heritage and the wars of their ancient lands, and bringing that magic and strife right to our unexpecting ears.
At first spin, Carving the Causeway to the Otherworld is an absolute onslaught. Coscradh‘s approach to metal lies in that nebulous middle ground of black and death metal’s more extreme corners, comparable to a more blackened alternative to labelmates Ascended Dead. Tremolo riffs hit with all the scything force of the bleeding Saturn on the album cover, while punishing death metal crunch permeates any moment not spent at blistering pace.
Beyond the tone-setter of “Five Fifths Awaken”, Coscradh wastes no time scorching the earth as soon as title track “Carving the Causeway to the Otherworld” flares into life. The approach on most of this album does feel largely consistent, though it feels like the first half of the album (bisected by the atmospheric interlude “The Calling”) leans more in a directly black metal direction. Higher-string riffs and blasting drums clash off wailing solos, and aggression remains high across “Adradh dé Ghoac” (I do love bands using Gaelic!) and lead single “Caesar’s Revelation (Hibernia L. VI V. WIV ad XVI er XXIV)”.
Post-interlude, Coscradh seems to dabble in more variation which pays off wonderfully in staving off any burnout for listeners. The thrashy subtext I picked up in “Badhah’s Shadows” was a delightful twist to the band’s churning fury, while closer “Opening the Gates to Styx, Nix, Kerberos and Hydra” feels practically doomy for most of its runtime before fading out on unsettling ambient textures.
Admittedly, the sheer fury of Carving the Causeway… does make the tracks bleed together a little bit, but the atmosphere that Coscradh crafts out of pandemonium is engrossing. Noise and synth dressings never take over the sound from the metallic violence, but their quiet presence adds great additional eeriness to these tales of ancient warriors and old gods. The album is also produced and mixed perfectly, ensuring that if wanted, listeners could certainly focus on any detail, but it’s just as easy to let the tumult wash you over.
But even more than that, the palpable passion and energy the band puts in makes this album feel refreshingly exhilarating. The drumming is savage, yet tasteful and elegant when needed, while the guitars are outstanding as a reliable constant. But for me, the surprise star of the album is the vocal performance. I don’t know what it is, but the dual vocals of Ciarán Ó Críodáin and Hick O Aodha are genuinely some of my favorite extreme metal vocals I’ve heard in a good while. Conversational rasps, Immortal-esque croaks, gruffer growls, and impassioned wails are all on the table, and every word is delivered with force and authority. For lack of any better description, it’s just a blast listening to the vocals across Carving the Causeway…, and it’s a massive credit to the band that the music is more than strong enough to match.
From first look at that striking album cover and band logo, listeners should know that delving into Carving the Causeway to the Otherworld will be a wild ride. Coscradh‘s approach is precisely the kind of unhinged, wild abandon that keeps me coming back to music like this time and again. It’s the soundtrack to warriors from millennia long past fighting to the bitter end while their war gods watch on in sanguine glee. For all the bloodshed and madness, one must admit that Coscradh is putting on a hell of a show.
