Review: “Transitory Fragmentation” by Penny Coffin

After giving us the gift of four EPs since their inception in 2020 it is now finally time for Scottish Death Metal quartet Penny Coffin to deliver us to evil with a debut album. Titled “Transitory Fragmentation” it was recorded by the band themselves in tormented confinement with guitarist Joseph Edward Kelly mixing in the 36th chamber of death. Mastering duties were handled by the legendary Dan Lowndes (Ancient Death, Blood Incantation, Cerebral Rot) at Resonance Sound Studio, so the band who feature members of Coffin Mulch, Zombie Militia and Desecrated Extinction in their ranks could concentrate on preparing for their next reign of terror on stages across this once green and pleasant land. Thus far they have appeared at London’s Necropolis and Beyond the Gates Festivals as well as having supported such luminaries as Deicide and Eyehategod… so why stop there?

For those who have yet to experience the dark pleasures of the previous works of Penny Coffin, let’s just say that their previous works have been immersive experiences of a catastrophically intense nature as the band blend harsh tones to create atmospheric Death Metal with Extreme Metal influences rising to the surface on a regular basis. They have long had the ability to make your ears bleed and your brain haemorrhage at thirty paces and no one expects that to change any time soon. The record gets underway with  “Murder Music Orchestration” which finds drummer Luke Lockley providing the artillery shelling as the riffs begin to fly in all directions like a nail bomb just exploded. They have a few Death Thrash influences in them with Daniel Paton and the aforementioned Kelly embracing whammy bar action as well as tight leads, the undeniable groove of the final third making for a powerful moment.

Old school influences are present and correct throughout the record as the band wear their hearts on their sleeves, something which means that cuts like “Mass Grave Forced Internment” have instant appeal in familiarity. They also have more than enough life of their own to climb from the crypt and stab you in the neck with a broken bottle, the caustic vocals as potent as the classy riffs on that one. Eerie, haunting technically rooted leads in the final moments send a chill down the spine and will leave you wondering what you just heard even before the restless and relentless pummelling percussion of “Crimson Storm” begins. Rampaging riffs of the highest order paint pictures in the mind of serial killers chasing innocent bystanders through the woods at night with chainsaws with blood splattering everywhere in old school VHS horror movie fashion, the crushing staccato riff breaks and fuelling the blood-lust.

Tribal drum patterns and a sample create interlude piece “REDACTED1” which has flavours of early Sepultura about it while offering a fleeting moment of respite before the punishment beating that is “Siege of Antiquity” rears its ugly head. A cut of urgent, swirling riffs that feels like a bad acid trip, it has a glorious rise and fall to accompany the insanity. There are moments of this one that are reminiscent of the soundscapes of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining as if the band have been influenced by the likes of Imperial Triumphant into creating something that is a little more disturbing that their usual forays. The experimentation continues with a choral introduction to “Biological Sentient Horror” which gives it the feel of an occult ritual before the demonic harsh vocals decimate the weak and thin the herd. Again the band impress by thinking outside of the box with nuanced moments which only surface over repeated listens as there is so much in this vicious little ditty. There are pops of funky bass in the swirling atmospheres and a couple of nice more technical leaning riffs in amongst the chaos and blind fury just waiting to be discovered, much like the rotting corpse in their basement. Slowing things a couple of notches “Goma” is introduced by some epic riffs befitting of the most glorious of crypts before once again descending into the depths of depravity. You can just picture Australian multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Brendan Auld creating sounds like this with one of his many projects and if Penny Coffin could collaborate with him in the studio at some point, there is no doubt that the like minded individuals would be able to produce something greater than the sum of their parts. There is also a pick slide of epic proportions in this one and who isn’t a sucker for one of those?

Just when you think you’ve heard it all and therefore been lulled into a false sense of security “Bones Broken Glass” hits like an ice pick to the skull with the kind of frantic drumming and violently barbed riffs that you might expect from a blistering opening cut. A demonstration of power from a wrathful god, it’s an unstoppable force of nature that churns and burns with smouldering dark atmospherics while packing enough venom to stop a rampaging rhino in its tracks. So much so that the opening refrains of “Industrial God Complex” actually feel like a tranquil moment after a violent storm with a real majesty to the riffs… until the savage vocals start once more. After that all bets are off as the brutal roars grow in intensity, almost to the point of offering foresight of an extinction level event. At seven minutes and seven seconds this one is a magnum opus of a track which pushes into Progressive Death Metal territory while being both captivating and enthralling throughout. How about a little Industrial Metal mayhem? “REDACTED2” offers something harsh, bleak and cold to finish the album like a science fiction horror movie credit sequence… [8.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Murder Music Orchestration
2. Mass Grave Forced Internment
3. Crimson Storm
4. REDACTED1
5. Siege of Antiquity
6. Biological Sentient Horror
7. Goma
8. Bones Broken Glass
9. Industrial God Complex
10. REDACTED2

“Transitory Fragmentation” by Penny Coffin is out 6th November 2026 and is available over at bandcamp.