Coma Beach, formed in Germany re-emerges with new material titled A Madman’s Dream/Mind Descending, a collection of re-recordings of some of the songs featured on their 1995 album titled The Scapegoat’s Agony. The reimagined EP has five songs, which are original songs with a twist in their sound, which is quite heavier and more aggressive now. This record has a sound and power of the band with B. Kafka’s grave and intense vocals and Captain A. Fear’s guitar fantastic riffs.
It is quite fitting to consider ‘A Madman’s Dream’ and ‘Mind Descending’ as the soul or the nucleus of this song collection. “A Madman’s Dream” brings the audience into the head of the titular anti-hero, whose name is never given, as he finds himself spiraling into madness and drowning in outside forces he cannot avoid. It matches very well with ‘Mind Descending’ which is another two-minute piece offering catchy, fast-paced rock music that represents the antihero’s deteriorating state of mind. Together, these songs create a very noisy but authentic picture of what it is like to be on the verge of a breakdown.
I also really like the songs that have stuck out to me so far, which include “Absurd. ”It portrays the feelings of the antihero towards the society as being empty and hypocritical. The music also tells of his defiance; the pain and anger come out clear in the song. The song that follows it, “I Won’t Listen,” is a rebellious anthem dealing with the topic of noncompliance, complete with moody guitars and an engaging guitar solo that propels the song from a rather slow, pensive ballad like verses to the more up-tempo, rebellious chorus. This song shows how the antihero really does not care and does not want to be pressured into conforming to what they do not want to do.
Last but not the least, “Jesus’ Tears” goes into the realm of the mad and portrays the antihero in a crucified loved position. Heavily distorted guitars and fast drumming form the thick and frantic view of the song, the lead guitar line cuts in just as dramatically as it stamps out the darkness of the record’s mood.
On A Madman’s Dream/Mind Descending, Coma Beach makes an excellent attempt to depict such profound concepts as madness, loneliness, and the essence of existence. The quality of the recording is very high indeed and conveys the crude as well as the subtleties of the music. Rather than just an EP containing various tracks, this EP is a powerful trip into the psychologist’s realm of the human soul.
