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Album Review – Coffin Feeder / Big Trouble (2025)

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This Belgian Death Metal and Deathcore supergroup will crush their enemies armed with their debut opus, see them driven before them, and hear the lamentation of their women.

Formed in 2021 in Waregem, a municipality and city located in the Belgian province of West Flanders, Death Metal/Deathcore beast Coffin Feeder has just spewed upon humanity their first ever full-length album, titled Big Trouble, the follow-up to their 2022 EPs Stereo Homicide and Over the Top. Recorded by Lander Cluyse and Jeroen Camerlynck, mixed and mastered by Dave Otero at Flatline Audio Studio, and displaying a marvelous artwork that pays homage to all action movies from the 80’s and 90’s we all love so much, the new offering by frontman Sven de Caluwé (Aborted), guitarists Jeroen Camerlynck and Bart Govers (Fleddy Melculy), bassist Jan Hallaert (Leng Tch’e, Motormouth), and drummer Siebe Hermans (Reverse the Sun, When Plagues Collide) goes above and beyond with their fusion of extreme music and action flicks, resulting in 12 tracks of ultimate brutality that will surely inspire you to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their women.

Not sure if the intro There Will Be Trouble was inspired by Big Trouble in Little China or by a quote from Robocop, but anyway it’s a very cool and cinematic warmup for the pulverizing Porkchop Express, featuring guest vocalist Julien Truchan of Benighted, with their slamming feast being led by the hammering drums by Siebe in the best Brutal Death Metal style imaginable. Then featuring guest vocals by Ben Duerr of Shadow of Intent, If It Bleeds, inspired by one of the most famous quotes from the 1984 cult movie Predator, is absolutely mental, with Sven sounding inhumane on vocals in this newborn masterpiece of violence and bloodshed. Conan couldn’t have been left out of the party, and the song in his honor, The Destroyer, will crush your spinal cord to the ruthless riffage by Jeroen and Bart (because they know what’s best in life); whereas the rumbling bass by Jan will make your head tremble in Love at First Death, accompanied by the always demented beats and fills by Siebe. And Plain Zero, with guest vocals by Mark Hunter of Chimaira, is a song that will pulverize your frail body mercilessly, with all vocals and instruments exhaling sheer violence and hatred.

Sven continues to bark like a demonic creature in Obey, offering more of the band’s trademark ferocity, with Jan and Siebe once again crafting utterly thunderous sounds through their infernal kitchen. Then it’s time to bang our heads like rabid maniacs in Get to the Party, with the entire band inviting our “beloved” Richter to a brutal slamming feast made in Belgium; followed by Let Off Some Steam, a lecture in Death Metal infused with Deathcore and endless dementia, with Sven once again bursting his lungs by roaring like an evil beast. Needless to say, Bennett must be proud of the boys from Coffin Feeder. H.I.S.S. is by far the least exciting of all songs, never really taking off despite its strong atmosphere, whereas A Good Day to Die offers another blast of venomous riffs and bass lines by Jeroen, Bart and Jan, bringing nuances of Groove Metal and Djent added to their core essence, not to mention its epic background elements. There’s time for one last dive into the circle pit to the sound of The Wrong Arm of the Law, offering a ruthless slab of Deathcore where Sven and Siebe are in absolute sync with their respective roars and beats.

In a nutshell, if you love a good amount of brutality played to perfection, infused with endless adrenaline, and paying homage to all movies that helped put the word “action” in Hollywood the likes of Predator, Commando, and Cobra, you must give a listen to the infuriated Big Trouble, available for purchase from the Listenable Records’ BandCamp or by clicking on these links for the physical or digital edition of the album. You can also “get to da choppa” and start following this demonic supergroup on Facebook and on Instagram, subscribe to their YouTube channel, and stream their bestial creations on Spotify. If it bleeds, we can kill it. And if it’s a ruthless fusion of Death Metal and Deathcore like what they have to offer us in Big Trouble, then we can slam.

Best moments of the album: If It Bleeds, Plain Zero, Let Off Some Steam and The Wrong Arm of the Law.

Worst moments of the album: H.I.S.S.

Released in 2025 Listenable Records

Track listing
1. There Will Be Trouble 0:56
2. Porkchop Express 2:57
3. If It Bleeds 3:10
4. The Destroyer 3:02
5. Love at First Death 3:18
6. Plain Zero 3:29
7. Obey 2:32
8. Get to the Party 3:25
9. Let Off Some Steam 3:48
10. H.I.S.S. 1:44
11. A Good Day to Die 3:28
12. The Wrong Arm of the Law 3:22

Band members
Sven de Caluwé – vocals
Jeroen Camerlynck – guitars, backing vocals
Bart Govers – guitars, backing vocals
Jan Hallaert – bass
Siebe Hermans – drums

Guest musicians
Mark Hunter – vocals on “Plain Zero”
Julien Truchan – vocals on “Porkchop Express”
Ben Duerr – vocals on “If It Bleeds”

Album Review – Shocker / Shocker EP (2021)

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Enjoy this journey through the past, present and future of rock and metal music brought forth by five hardworking and talented Belgian “shockers”.

Formed somewhere in 2018 in Kuurne, a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders, from an old idea by frontman Sammy Peleman (After All, September Syn) and bassist Koen (when Sammy performed as a guest vocalist in Koen’s cover band Back to Back), Shocker are a Heavy Metal and Hard Rock outfit that doesn’t like to be stuck to any boundaries or labeled as just one specific music style, bringing to our ears an amalgamation of rock and metal genres and subgenres with a strong 70’s Psychedelic Rock vibe to make things more entertaining and vibrant. Now in 2021 it’s time for Sammy and Koen, together with their bandmates  David Vandewalle (Anesthesy, Artrach) on the guitars, Chris Dedeurwaerder (Phoenix Rebellion) on guitars and keyboards, and Jelle Vandewalle on drums, to release their debut self-titled EP, containing four no shenanigans rockin’ songs that will take you on a journey to the past, bring you back to the present, and show you that the future of Rock N’ Roll is safe thanks to hardworking and talented bands like those Belgian rockers.

And let Shocker’s party begin with some good old, electrifying Rock N’ Roll in the opening tune Thrillseeker, with David and Chris bringing a touch of 80’s metal to the music with their riffs while of course Sammy kicks some ass with his Glam Metal vocals; whereas switching gears to a darker sonority found in some of the more contemporary songs by Iron Maiden they offer us all Twisted Shape of Man, before Jelle begins pounding his drums accompanied by the rumbling bass by Koen and the incendiary riffs from the band’s guitar duo. Then Koen ignites the band’s somber machine with his low-tuned, metallic bass in The Genuine Falls while Sammy declaims the lyrics with tons of passion and introspection, resulting in a classic Heavy Metal tune that slowly and gradually accelerates its pace until reaching an epic, galloping sound led by Jelle’s beats, also infused with a few welcome Progressive Rock and Metal nuances. Lastly, closing the EP it’s time for some groove in the Hard Rock and Hair Metal extravaganza titled Breaking the Silence, where the strident riffs and solos by David and Chris walk hand in hand with Sammy’s soaring vocals, therefore putting a classic conclusion to their debut effort.

Despite the fact that the EP is relatively short in duration, with the four songs lasting for a combined running time of a little less than 23 minutes, it’s indeed an amazing indication of where those five skillful musicians are headed to in their future releases, not to mention their progressive vein allows them to experiment a lot more than other regular bands, which of course means we can expect a few good surprises from Shocker anytime they release a new EP or full-length album. Furthermore, as a completely independent band that loves the DIY style from the bottom of their hearts as much as they love rock music, they need our support and admiration to keep moving forward in their career, so why not paying them a visit on their official Facebook page not only to provide your feedback on their music, but more important than that, to purchase their newborn EP and to keep on rockin’ in the free world? That’s what electrifying rock music like what those Belgian “shockers” have to offer us all is all about, and that’s pretty much all that we need in our lives.

Best moments of the album: The Genuine Falls.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2021 Independent

Track listing
1. Thrillseeker 5:07
2. Twisted Shape of Man 6:56
3. The Genuine Falls 5:17
4. Breaking the Silence 5:26

Band members
Sammy Peleman – vocals
David Vandewalle – guitars
Chris Dedeurwaerder – guitars, keyboards
Koen – bass, backing vocals
Jelle Vandewalle – drums

Album Review – Malfested / Shallow Graves EP (2020)

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Behold this epic tale about a great battle between men and the undead in the form of the pulverizing Death Metal crafted by an uncanny Belgian horde.

Forged in the fires of Kortrijk, a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders, in 2020, the year of “the great plague”, the unrelenting Death Metal unity known as Malfested released on November 2, the famous “Day of the Dead”, their debut EP entitled Shallow Graves. Highly inspired by renowned acts the likes of Bloodbath, Deicide and Carnation, the band comprised of Arne on vocals and Niels on the guitar, as well as other anonymous members, offers in Shallow Graves an epic tale about a great battle between men and the undead, where they have to find a way to stop this overwhelming evil. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Cyril Hostyn, Shallow Graves exhales aggression, anger and heaviness just the way we like it in classic Death Metal, leaving us completely disoriented after the album’s 21 minutes of vicious music are over. Put differently, simply hit play and head into the violent and merciless battlefield side by side with those uncanny Belgian metallers in the name of our good old Death Metal.

Flies buzzing and the stench of dead bodies ignite the vicious onrush of old school Death Metal titled Shallow Graves, where Arne vociferates rabidly and deeply accompanied by the Hardcore-infused riffage by Niels, and whoever is playing the drums is a true metal beast. And you better be physically prepared as they keep hammering our heads and haunting our souls with their undisputed fusion of old school and modern-day Death Metal in Masked with the Skulls of the Fallen, where once again Arne’s growls and snarls sound beyond brutal, building an instant and visceral connection with the pulverizing Fields of Bloodshed, showcasing austere lyrics (“One wounded man had made it out – to the tell the tale before he bled out / Like fire the word spread through the land – a whole town crushed by a demon hand / Summon the fearless – send them out to investigate / Expose the demons – that only live in old wife’s tales”), frantic beats and the trademark scorching riffs by Niels.

I the excellent Venefica (The Banished One) we’re treated to a sick and thrilling display of savagery and hatred in the form of Death Metal by Malfested. Moreover, Arne and Niels must be really proud of the stone crusher they called to be their drummer, resulting in the perfect combination of evil sounds tailored for slamming our skulls into the circle pit. Then leaning towards the darkest form of Death Metal you can think of, you can sense sheer rage flowing from Arne’s guttural roars in Incantations, while the music remains as bestial and aggressive as possible, not to mention the demolishing but at the same time melodious riffs by Niels. Finally, Malfested show no mercy for our necks and souls as they offer our ears another infernal tune titled Cistern of Souls, inspired by the glory of 90’s Death Metal the likes of Deicide, Morbid Angel and Death, among several others, and as soon as it’s over you’ll feel desperate for more of their violent music.

I guess I don’t need to say Malfested are here to stay based on the high quality of the music found in Shallow Graves, right? Those Belgian metallers are on fire throughout the entire EP, which by the way can be enjoyed in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, pointing to a bright (and demolishing) future ahead of them. Hence, don’t forget to follow those cryptic musicians on Facebook and, above all, to purchase a copy of Shallow Graves from their own BandCamp page. Will Arne, Niels and their henchmen win their battle against the undead armed with their undisputed Death Metal? Only time will tell, but until then we can rest assured Malfested will continue to decimate our senses with their wicked and perverse creations, elevating the name of their homeland in the underworld of extreme music.

Best moments of the album: Shallow Graves and Venefica (The Banished One).

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 Independent

Track listing
1. Shallow Graves 3:14
2. Masked with the Skulls of the Fallen 3:47
3. Fields of Bloodshed 3:37
4. Venefica (The Banished One) 3:48
5. Incantations 4:00
6. Cistern of Souls 3:10

Band members
Arne – vocals
Niels – guitar
Unknown – guitar, bass, drums*

* There’s no information available about the other band members.