Coltaine is one of the many bands that stick out to me when I’m browsing Instagram. When I saw that they opened for Messa last year, I knew I had to check them out.
Holy Shit! I missed a Monster from 2024. This is primal, blackened yet Progressive Doom that should be a great fit for fans of YOB, Messa, Black Willows, and Scorched Oak. The guitar playing is heavy and aggressive, and the heart of the Doom vibe that Coltaine brings to the fore.
But it’s the vocals that really set the atmosphere. Julia Frasch wields her voice as something between a scalpel and a sledgehammer, depending on the mood she wants to evoke. Here’s the Riff Note I did for the CleanandSoberStoner YouTube Channel:
I highly recommend Forgotten Ways for fans of something unique and provocative. While they are the perfect fit for a double bill with Messa, they are a lot darker and heavier. Coltaine is far from being a clone, and on their first album have established a sound and an identity that is unlike anyone else in the scene.