Cowards - Still

Paris based shouters reveal their inner brutality on recent EP release, 'Still'. Fusing several elements of doom, sludge and hardcore together in a genre based blender to create an atmospheric inspired havoc-filled nice mess. There's structure when needed, but there's sloppy bludgeoning riffs spilling left right and centre like the awkward moment your grandma drops the gravy jug across the dining room table at your annual Christmas gathering.

The doom segments on the EP are standout here, and almost refreshing to hear but the hardcore vibe is the most vibrant of them all. Whilst the band's gnarly angst vocals destroy throughout, especially on middle track 'Like Us', proving the band are not a one-trick pony as the listener is engulfed in the band's diversity and rage. This track also develops a black metal habitat, not only in the eerie instrumental side of the crappy recordings, but the vocals also take a slightly more evil, raspy approach.

'You Belong To Me' is as haunting as it is unstable. The fuzzy background noise over the chanted title vocals erupts into a doom-meets demonic combination fit to tackle the darkest of extreme metal bands. All in all leading into the fifth and final song, 'One Night In Any City'. A bizarre attempt of talkative-poetic vocals over slow, repetitive riffage build-ups, which eventually follow the EP's beginnings of the mental capacity of the harsh vocals, ending the release on an odd-yet formidable finish.

Probably not a band that will ever hit any new heights, but Cowards fill the void if you're on the prowl for something fresh, aggressive and noisy. At times slightly too messy for my tastes, but Cowards have big enough balls that most modern bands wouldn't even be able to grasp, so respect is earned in the aspect of trying out so many genres on an EP that finishes far too quickly.


  1. Still (Paris Most Nothing)
  2. Let Go
  3. Like Us
  4. You Belong To Me
  5. One Night In Any City