The truth as told by Metalligator…
If you thought nine years between records would have slowed Gridlink down, Coronet Juniper is about to punch you in the face. The opening one-two, shoot-em-up combo of “Silk Ash Cascade” and the rudely grooving “Anhalter Bahnhof” make it seem like little time has passed since they released the genre defining (or defying?) Longhena in 2014. You will find the usual creatively twisting melodic riffs from Takafumi Matsubara, the intense blasts and fills of Bryan Fajardo‘s drums and venomous shrieks from Jon Chang in full force here. There is even a slight Melodic Death Metal or Power Metal influence in some of the songs this time around (as heard around 0:50 in “Pitch Black Resolve”). An anxious violin gives accent to “Ocean Vertigo” and occasionally a nice Traditional Heavy Metal riff pops up here and there (“Octave Serpent”). With Longhena being the previous record, there might be an expectation that Gridlink‘s return will be even wilder in experimentation. But the band instead seem to have opted to produce something that grabs you by the collar and throws you down a set of stairs. This is fine and as Grindcore should be. The album is a great shot of adrenaline to any playlist this year.
My initial experiences with Coronet Juniper left me feeling its power but also struggling to get through for some reason. I put this down to the feeling that the drums were much less varied this time around, despite the good amount of creative fills on Fajardo‘s side. While it is indeed less varied than Longhena, the real culprit has turned out to be the production, as it pushes the drums up high in the mix and features a loud, sharp and ear-shredding sound. With the already omnipresent drums it makes it all very intense, unfortunately to the detriment of listening loudly to it in headphones. Instrumental moments like Longhena‘s “Thirst Watcher” would mitigate this, giving you a chance to breathe or some larger rhythmic variety at the least. Coronet Juniper instead goes the other way after five very good to great (but intense) tracks, the next four one-minute songs drop variety to let the drums grind you into dust. It is all good, mind you, but these production choices lessens my experience of the music as there are days where I am just too tired to take it in. This also makes me less inclined to listen deeper for the details that I know are there. Perhaps high-fidelity files or the vinyl specific mix will fix this gripe but either way, it is great to have new material lately from some of the best bands in Grind like Gridlink and Wormrot.
Rating: High 7/10
The alternative truth told by Alice…
Gridlink‘s 2014 opus Longhena is my favorite album of all time. This was never going to be a normal review—if you want something less personal, Metalligator has provided one above.
Gridlink means more to me than one paragraph could do justice. Thus, like every other Grind fan, I was dismayed at their inactivity caused by guitarist Takafumi Matsubara‘s cerebral infarction, which led to paralysis in his arm and hands, rendering him unable to play guitar. Vocalist Jon Chang has long been obsessed with stories of people overcoming impossible odds for no reason outside of spite and tragic determination—Madoka Magica to Macbeth to Dodonpachi. Chang retired from music after Gridlink‘s indefinite hiatus while members moved on to other projects.
Then, Matsubara resurfaced. Defying expectations from his bandmates, doctors, and even himself, he put himself through rehab that slowly gave him control of his arm back and even released a solo album. That same day, Chang came out of retirement to release his first recorded work in three years—his throat shredding howls and poetic lyricism continuing to give a distinct identity to everything he touches—bringing with him the similarly reclusive and retired Discordance Axis guitarist Rob Marton. Both records were excellent, and those cinders lit up hope for a possible fourth Gridlink album. Coronet Juniper is that fire.
With anticipation, however, comes the possibility of disappointment. While not rational to expect Gridlink to recapture Longhena‘s lightning in a bottle, I nevertheless believed they could. Coronet Juniper comes out the gates swinging with three songs that stand shoulder to shoulder with Longhena‘s best—”Silk Ash Cascade” rides a triumphant melody seemingly out of a Visual Kei act like Virgin Sex Killer, calling back to the shockingly melodic opening of “Constant Autumn”. “Anhalter Bahnhof” is the groovier, grindier, more dissonant follow-up recalling “The Last Raven” or “Orphan”. “Pitch Black Resolve” takes that triumph of the opening riff and infuses it with tragic resolve, soaring above a bomb-charred wasteland, recalling Keiichi Okabe more than any Grindcore act.
Then, the raven falters. “Nickel Grass Mosaic” while being far from a bad showing, is strikingly similar to the previous three songs in pace and tone. Immediately following it is the three-minute “Ocean Vertigo”, a veritable epic by Grindcore standards. Half the album has passed and the pace has not relented—fatigue would set in even for the most battle-scarred of Grindcore veterans. I’ve had the promo copy for this album since July and I’ve been listening to it regularly since; by this point, I still find it difficult to remain fully focused on the album like I can with Longhena. The second half of the album suffers for this self-similarity. Stunning separately but working against each other together, the next three songs meld together in a haze. It isn’t until track nine that my attention is pulled back by Matsubara and Chang channeling “Castration Rite” with bright yet abrasive short phrases. The final two songs bring some sorely needed variety with a fake-out ending to the album leading into a final frenzied assault.
Music publications often frown upon track-by-track reviews, but there is really no other way for me to sift through Coronet Juniper—a miraculous album that no one envisioned would ever happen, and a follow-up to one of the dearest things to my heart. I’ve taken these songs separately and as one. I’ve listened to them by themselves and while intentionally listening for similarities to past work. There’s a lot to unpack here—the virtuosic drumming and creative fills between blasts, the lyricism—but try as I might, I cannot help but recall the band’s past work. Coronet Juniper is a very good album. I foresee myself going back to it over and over again for the highlights and to continue cracking away at its shell. No Gridlink album has ever been anything less than dense. It’s no Longhena, but Gridlink still have fight in them, and I’ll stay aboard until the bitter end.
