Copse’s MMXXIV is a remarkable entry in the post-black metal genre, offering a dynamic and emotionally charged listening experience that will kick you in the kididdle hopper and leave you in a foetus position on the floor. It is an uncompromising sonic assault on the senses that will find you questioning not only your worth as a human being trapped in a world full of shit, but your sanity at accepting this is your lot in life.
This release, a collection of their first two EPs, establishes the band’s reputation for pushing creative boundaries while maintaining a distinct intensity and depth, and it hits harder than a bull in the depths of a ether binge, while also being aware enough to know that even the most bitter of medicine needs the occasional spoonful of sugar to help wash it down.
From the atmospheric opener Mara, which transitions from tranquil melodies to a thunderous explosion of sound, to the grand finale New Despair, a 14-minute opus blending clean vocals and blackened fury, each track offers something unique. Mondrem impresses with its fluid progression and engaging rhythms, while Old Belief delivers crushing riffs that linger long after the track ends, but for me it is Dot – which isn’t what it’s called but it’s what I’m calling it, so bloody sod ya – that is the perfect example of how to sooth the soul in the middle of the madness that is going on around you. It is gentle, it is as tender as a lovers caress, and it allows you to breath between the blitzkrieg of the two tracks that proceed it and the two that follow.
Quire frankly, there is not a single misstep on MMXXIV and considering that everything outside of Dot is not only so in your face that you’d be worried it would glass you in a pub brawl, and are epic in scale – with the shortest being Old Belief at just over 5 minutes and the longest being New Despair which clocks in at over 14 minutes long – then it could be easy for Copse to get list aling the way, with excessive noodling and songs that never go anywhere. But that doesn’t happen.
The production is polished yet retains a raw edge, capturing the emotional weight and sonic intricacies of their sound and Copse masterfully balances ferocity and melody, drawing listeners into a journey that’s both cathartic and transcendent.The fact is that MMXXIV is a must-hear for fans of genre-defying metal, demonstrating Copse’s growth and their ability to deliver powerful, memorable music.
It genuinely is that fucking good.
Get MMXXIV by Copse, and all their other goodies, over on their Bandcamp Page.
