Cough

Cough
Cough
	; Cough performing live.
Background information
Origin	Richmond, Virginia, USA
Genres	Black Metal, Sludge Metal, Stoner Metal, Doom Metal
Years active	2005 - Present
Labels	Relapse Records, Forcefield Records
Associated acts	Windhand, Sinister Haze
Website	Facebook

Cough are an American stoner/sludge/doom metal band from Richmond, Virginia. Forming in 2005, the quartet would draw influences from doom metal bands of various generations alongside sludge bands and early black metal such as Bathory. The band would start initially with a single vocalist in Chris Kirby but upon his departure in 2008, would see core members David Cisco and Parker Chandler taking over on vocals, both of which with very different vocal styles.

Upon releasing their debut album in 2008, Cough would sign with Relapse for two critically acclaimed albums in 2010's Ritual Abuse and 2016's Still They Pray, respectively. To date the band has released three albums among other releases and has toured North America, Europe and Australia.

History[]

Cough would be founded in Richmond, Virginia circa 2005 with the founding lineup of Chris Kirby, Parker Chandler, David Cisco and Joseph Arcaro. The band took inspiration from a wide range of doom metal (Black Sabbath, Cathedral, Electric Wizard, Goatsnake, etc.) alongside sludge metal (Grief, Eyehategod, Cavity) and early black metal (Bathory). Not long after forming Cough would release The Kingdom in 2006.

In 2007 Cough would sign with Forcfield Records, whom would re-issue their first EP. Along with the re-release would see the band recording their debut album with Sanford Parker in the Fall of 2007. Sigillum Luciferi would see release on 6 May 2008 to positive reviews from publications such as Exclaim!,^[1] Invisible Oranges^[2] and Scene Point Blank^[3] among others.

Sporadic gigging followed the release before the band holed up in a Richmond warehouse to write the follow-up. Winter 2008 was brutal, the warehouse was filthy and unheated, and the band slowly labored forward with the writing between hospital visits and bouts of near-insanity. Chris Kirby would also leave the band, leaving Chandler and Cisco to take over the vocal roles. On 4 June 2010 it would be announced that Cough had signed with Relapse Records^[4] and returned to Chicago, IL, enlisting Parker once again to record the follow-up to Sigillum Luciferi.

Ritual Abuse would see release on 1 November 2010, attaining further critical praise from the likes of Blabbermouth,^[5] Your Last Rites^[6] and the Austin Chronicle^[7] to name a few. Chris Ashley, writing for Doomed & Stoned in 2019, would cite the album as one of the finest sludge albums of the decade.^[8]

To support the album Cough had already toured North America throughout 2010 with a second guitarist in Brandon Marcey but would tour extensively through the next year, beginning with a tour supporting Buzzov*en and quickly following with a North American tour surrounding appearances at Scion RockFest and SXSW. The band would perform in Europe for the first time that Spring, touring throughout for seven weeks and appearing at the 2011 edition of Roadburn Festival. Further touring would follow back in North America (including an appearance at Boomslang Festival) followed by the band's first tour of Australia as part of Doomsday Festival. The next year would see Cough touring alongside the likes of Weedeater and ASG while appearing at festivals such as Maryland Deathfest and Chaos in Tejas.^[9]

Along with a return to Europe in 2013 (Alongside Witch Mountain) that would include appearances at Roadburn, Desertfest London, DesertFest Berlin, Terneuzen Stonerfest and Heavy Days in Doomtown,^[10] Cough would release a split LP with Windhand entitled Reflection of the Negative on 16 April 2013. The split would attain significant praise, including a 7.9/10 review via Pitchfork that would cite Reflection of The Negative as "an immersive split EP that serves as an important notice for Richmond as a center for metal in the United States".^[11] The Sludgelord,^[12] The Sleeping Shaman,^[13] Sea of Tranquility^[14] and Echoes and Dust^[15] would be among several other publications to give positive reception of the split.

Cough would take time off from touring for the next couple years to concentrate on writing a new studio album, eventually recording in September 2015 on a reel-to-reel in drummer Joseph Arcaro's garage, followed by mastering at The Boiler Room. Produced by Jus Oborn (Electric Wizard), Still They Pray would see release on 3 June 2016 to critical praise from several publications such as Metal Injection,^[16] Invisible Oranges,^[17] The Austin Chronicle,^[18] Treble Zine,^[19] The Sludgelord^[20] and Pitchfork^[21] just to name a few. Consequence of Sound in particular would describe Still They Pray as "a difficult, exhausting record, best approached as a conceptual whole rather than a collection of disparate tracks. The lack of sonic variation is an artistic choice, constructing an atmosphere that’s transportive and deeply moving, but not for the hesitant. The vocals are harsh, the guitars harsher, the drone repetitious, but Cough evoke an emotional resonance that gets to the crux of why we create art. This is music you can live in and live with, to stave off your own looming darkness … or resign yourself to it.".^[22]

To support Still They Pray Cough would tour extensively, now as a quintet with a live organist known as JK. Cough would perform at Psycho Las Vegas and follow with a tour of Europe alongside Elder, appearing at events such as Up In Smoke, Desertfest Athens and Desertfest Belgium.^[23] The next year would see Cough touring alongside Windhand in Australia and Sinister Haze in Europe.^[24] In 2019 Lithuanian label Creep Purple would release a live album entitled More Dead Than Live.

Discography[]

Studio Albums[]

Sigillum Luciferi (2008, Forcefield Records)
Ritual Abuse (2010, Relapse Records)
Still They Pray (2016, Relapse Records)

Other Releases[]

The Kingdom (EP) (2006, We Are The Label Inc.)
An Introduction to the Black Arts (Split with The Wounded Kings) (2010, Forcefield)
Reflection of the Negative (Split with Windhand) (2013, Relapse)
More Dead Than Live (Live Album) (2019, Creep Purple)

Members[]

Current Members[]

Parker Chandler - Bass (2005 - Present); Harsh Vocals (2008 - Present)
David Cisco - Guitar (2005 - Present); Clean Vocals (2008 - Present)
Joseph Arcaro - Drums (2005 - Present)
Brandon Marcey - Guitar (2010 - Present)
J.K. - Live Organ (2016 - Present)

Past Members[]

Chris Kirby - Vocals (2005 – 2008)

List of Known Tours[]

2008 North American Tour (2008)^[25]
February 2010 North American Tour (2010)^[26]
Ritual Abuse North American Tour (2010)^[27]
2011 North American Reunion Tour (With Buzzov*en) (2011)^[28]
SXSW Tour (With Magrudergrind) (2011)^[29]
Ritual Abuse Spring European Tour (2011)^[30]^[31]
Fall 2011 North American Tour (2011)^[32]^[33]
Doomsday Festival (2011)^[34]
2012 North American Tour (March/April) (With Weedeater, ASG) (2012)^[35]
2012 North American Tour (May/June) (With Dragged Into Sunlight) (2012)^[36]
2013 European Tour (With Witch Mountain) (2013)^[37]^[38]
2016 European Tour (With Elder) (2016)^[39]^[40]
2017 Australian Tour (With Windhand) (2017)^[41]
2017 European Tour (With Sinister Haze) (2017)^[42]
2018 West Coast Tour (With Grime) (2018)^[43]

External links[]

References[]

[1] Exclaim!

[2] Invisible Oranges

[3] Scene Point Blank

[4] Lambgoat

[5] Blabbermouth

[6] Your Last Rites

[7] Austin Chronicle

[8] Doomed and Stoned

[9] Last.fm

[10] Last.fm

[11] Pitchfork

[12] The Sludgelord

[13] The Sleeping Shaman

[14] Sea of Tranquility

[15] Echoes and Dust

[16] Metal Injection

[17] Invisible Oranges

[18] Austin Chronicle

[19] Treble Zine

[20] The Sludgelord

[21] Pitchfork

[22] Consequence of Sound

[23] Last.fm

[24] Last.fm

[25] Last.fm

[26] Cough Myspace

[27] Lambgoat

[28] Lambgoat

[29] Lambgoat

[30] Lambgoat

[31] Last.fm

[32] Lambgoat

[33] Last.fm

[34] Lambgoat

[35] Lambgoat

[36] Lambgoat

[37] Lambgoat

[38] Last.fm

[39] Lambgoat

[40] Last.fm

[41] Last.fm

[42] Last.fm

[43] Lambgoat

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