Comatose featuring members of Chrome Waves, Amiensus and Fail To Decay share new video for »Skin«

Rochester, Minnesota based atmospheric rockers Comatose featuring members of Chrome Waves, Amiensus and Fail To Decay share new video for »Skin« from their debut album, »A Way Back«, released on January 22nd, 2021 via Transcending Records.

Many musicians idolize rock stars as kids, the life and luxury of seeing the world and touring and playing music night to night in various cities, playing to people of all backgrounds, and perhaps the age old saying of “sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll”. The reality for most bands starting out and hitting the grind is they won’t last more than a year packed into a van, sleeping in parking lots and making nearly no money at all in this day and age of music. Comatose began in the winter of 2019/2020 with a group of musicians who previously had worked together for several years experiencing the life of grinding musicians, gathering their shared experiences of long drives, cheap beer, and muff pedals to bring forth a hazey, grungy, post metal mix of audio bliss. Their debut LP, »A Way Back« consists the of the existential crisis of musicians in 2020 who have had their way of life thrown apart by the chaos of the year. Thankfully, one can easily melt into the lush melody and reverb, or fall into the despair of the delay laden vocals through the diverse, yet familiar album that will likely bring the listener back to the mid 1990’s in their imagination.

Courtesy of Earsplit PR:

Minnesota-based atmospheric rock/grungegaze collective Comatose unveils their official new video for »Skin«. Now playing at BrooklynVegan, the track comes off the band’s critically-lauded »A Way Back« debut, released earlier this year via Transcending Records.

Notes guitarist/vocalist James Benson of the moving track, “»Skin«, as it is appropriately titled, concerns the emotional and physical detachment from an ideology and group surrounding it, while floating between new philosophies and exploring new surroundings.”

Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Zach Zurn at Carpet Booth Studios, »A Way Back« is the sound of the existential dread of musicians in 2020 who’ve had their way of life quite literally torn apart by the chaos of the year. Thankfully, one can easily melt into the lush melody and reverb or fall into the despair of the delay laden vocals through the diverse, yet familiar album that will likely bring listeners back to the mid-1990s without sounding dated or derivative.

»A Way Back«, which features the cover art of Todd Farnham, is available on CD, LP, and digitally. For physical orders, go to THIS LOCATION. For digital orders, go HERE where the record can be streamed in full.

Comatose was forged in the winter of 2019/2020 with a group of musicians – Jacob Carlson (Fail To Decay), Daren Menz (Fail To Decay, Chrome Waves-live), Adam Carroll (Fail To Decay, Lion Sight, The Boy Will Die), and James Benson (Amiensus, Chrome Waves, Fail To Decay) – who previously worked together for several years experiencing the true life and daily grind of the touring musician, gathering their shared experiences of long drives, cheap beer, and muff pedals to manifest a hazy, grungy, post-metal mix of audio paradise. Says Benson of the name, “‘Comatose’ was chosen as the name of the band as a result of being a part of ‘the lost generation’. Faced with multiple major global economic crises, domestic racism and terrorism, a pandemic, and climate change, it only felt right to choose something that reflected the mental health of an entire generation.”

Comatose is:
Jacob Carlson – Drums
Adam Carroll – Guitar/Vocals
James Benson – Guitar/Vocals
Daren Menz – Bass/Vocals

Photo by Zach Zurn

“Like shoegaze, but more in your face and earworm-y… If you’re into atmospheric, catchy rock, then you’re going to love Comatose and their new album »A Way Back«…” – Metal Injection

“»A Way Back« is both a statement of reverence and intent from Comatose. On one hand, it offers a passage through which we can return to the hazy, reverberating rock of the ‘90s, while on the other it provides a fitting soundtrack with which we can reflect. That is, reflect on what normality was, on what we as humanity took for granted before things went so far south, and reflect on how – or more importantly if – we can return there. It’s certainly food for thought, and Comatose make it very pleasing to devour indeed.” – Everything Is Noise

“Hazy and retro in sound, but keen to still set itself apart from the pack, Comatose delivers a trip back to the ‘90s without dating themselves. Just the right amount of heavy riffs and trippy melodies to cast a wide net of appeal, »A Way Back« is perfect for an afternoon where you want to sit back with something that is less aggressive but carries a weight and depth to it.” – Dead Rhetoric

“Comatose reminds one of a time when bands were unafraid to both experiment and write melodic tunes. »A Way Back« taps into this fine tradition but with a more contemporary sheen and the tracks feel the right length that never outstay their welcome.” – The Sleeping Shaman

“»A Way Back« is planted in the more atmospheric side of ’90s grunge/rock, with harmonic vocals and songs that use limited lyrics to let the instrumentation lead the path forward. The vocals drift in the air, tales of lost and hopelessness concurrent with the time period it was written in (early-to-mid 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic began to sweep the world). The unexpected screams on »Inside« and »Further« are daggers that propel into the soul of the last half of the album.” – Heavy Music HQ

“…nostalgically morose. Comatose live up to their name. The album feels like looking at footage of a happy vacation, but on a grainy, old medium that is close to disintegrating… The songwriting is stellar.” – Metal Utopia

“The band sets the tone for the record right away with opening track »Circles«. They set the stage not only sonically, with the lush guitars, hefty drums, and soaring vocal harmonies, but also lyrically. With lines like ‘Wasting our days, sitting tight / Look at the hour / The Sun comes up, the moon’s too bright..,’ the overall theme of mental health becomes very apparent.” – Burnt Coffee Reviews

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well