Editor’s Note: Coping Mechanism is a Northern German metal band that infuses progressive rock, technicality in their arrangements and a whole lot of metal! They cite bands such as Polyphia, Between The Buried and Me, and CHON as major influences in their music. Coping Mechanism gives Madness To Creation an exclusive track-by-track commentary of their album entitled “Shiak Kasim”. Fans can find Coping Mechanism at the following locations:
www.facebook.com/copingmechanismofficial
www.facebook.com/copingmechanismofficial
COPING MECHANISM on Mental Health Awareness and the Uprising in America:
Shiak Kasim is an album that we consider both, a sole long song taking the listener on a
journey through different musical genres on one side, as well as several individual songs,
that make sense as standalone tracks, on the other.
Unfortunately, due to the ongoing corona pandemic, we’ve yet only had the pleasure of
taking our music to the stage a handful of times. As a band that takes delight in playing live,
we decided to release our debut album in the midst of this crisis, so that next year,
hopefully, we can reap the fruit of our labor.
It took us a long time to decide on a final name for this band.
We put a lot of thought into that process, and reflected on what music really means to us.
As we grow older, and transcend from adolescence into adulthood, we find an outlet in our
music.
We cope with hardships by implementing jokes about pop culture, memes or hentai in our
songs, sometimes creating a divergent image in combination with the music.
In the light of depression and anxieties rising globally, we deem the thematization of mental
health very important.
Even though our music does not have a message delivered through text, we hope that
listeners may find shelter in our songs every bit as we do ourselves.
Regarding the view on the Trump administration from an international perspective, we
want to say the following:
We do not condone the highly irrational behavior of President Trump.
From our perspective, his actions leave an impression of pure incompetence.
When it comes to politics, some may find themselves in an echo chamber, or a filter bubble
very quickly.
Having this in mind, we objectively grade the presidency of President Trump zero out of ten
points.
That being said, we are aware that leaning back and pointing the finger at others is too
convenient to make a difference.
Racism and systematic oppression of/violence towards minorities and PoC are global
problems, which require the action and engagement of every citizen inhabiting planet earth.
Track By Track Analysis of “Shiak Kasim” by Immo of Coping Mechanism:
Track by track:
Gerippen Gegœmmelt
Nearing the end of writing and arranging ‘Shiak Kasim’, we wanted to add an energetic and
uplifting track as an introduction to the album.
Initially titled ‘Opener’, we decided to name the track after a Spongebob Squarepants quote.
The term ‘Gerippen Gegœmmelt’ (‘smeckledorfed’) stems from the 44th episode (‘Nasty
Patty’) of the 3rd season, and though it doesn’t make a lot of sense in itself as far as we
know, we wanted to pair the jolly vibe of the song with a corresponding quote off of one of
our favorite shows.
Structurally, the rather short song consists of a minute-long section that repeats twice, and
leads into Crusty Croc.
We recently put out a live session video for the song:
Crusty Croc
We consider this song one of our most technical ones.
After the intro, the guitars feature call and response segments that lead into a chorus.
Structurally, this is repeated twice.
In the further course of the song, we wind up at a funky-ish bass part, that leads into a
massive breakdown.
Nearing the end of the song, the chorus from the first part is revisited and features a guitar
solo, that is picked up by a piano,
expanding it into the beginning of Alfons.
Regarding the title of the song, we got influenced by a brand of a certain German snack,
which got rebranded.
There is no deeper meaning connected to the song title.
Check out this live video of the song:
Alfons
This was the first song we ever wrote.
Again, there is a lot of call and response utilized by the guitars, and a verse-chorus structure
is identifiable.
To make the song more interesting, we later on added the middle-part featuring the organ.
We wanted the sound of a real saxophone on the album, so we outsourced the job to Marius
Trapp, whom we commissioned via fiverr.com.
Nearing the last steps of finalizing the album, the guitar solo, following the saxophone solo,
was added last-minute.
The track is named after Marcel’s and Leon’s dog, who is a very good boy.
(❍ᴥ❍ʋ)
This two-part interlude leads into, what arguably might be, the ‘darkest’ track on the album.
Regarding the drums, the second part of the interlude features a rather unobtrusive
performance played with brushes.
You will experience a different approach to this part in a live-situation.
(so come check us out if you have the chance)
Hast du schon alles erledigt?
Probably the most ‘black-metal’-ish song on the album.
We wanted to create a dark/nightmarish atmosphere with the fade-in guitars and odd time
signatures.
Live on stage, we project gloomy imagery onto a screen corresponding to the music.
Referring to the song title, we once again chose a quote from the Spongebob Squarepants
TV Series for this song.
In the original episode (‘Squid’s Day Off’, S2 E21) it says ‘Have you finished those errands?’.
We’d like to leave the connection between title and song open for interpretation.
This will be the first single off our upcoming album –
stay tuned for the official video out on 3rd of July.
Mifti
The idea of Mifti came into being while working on a song, wherein the positions of Immo
(drums) and Marcel (guitar) are switched.
Thus, the skills of each member had to be kept in mind, resulting in a post-rock kind of song.
Writing-wise, the two alternating guitars at the beginning, that merge into a single
concluded melody, got the ball rolling.
The name was added just recently, when we visited our producer Emil (AudioBeast
Studios), and sadly learned about the passing of his beloved cat Mifti.
To immortalize his furry friend, this song serves as an elegy, representing each and every
companion we lose to time’s merciless grip.
Hence the clock ticking sounds at the beginning of the song.
Ciorbâ de Burtã
This is one of the few ideas that were created in the rehearsal room. We usually rely on
digital recording and notation software for the most part of our songwriting. This is due to
the mere fact that we all play the guitar to a certain degree, and can easily compose riffs or
song parts at home individually.
It started with a riff that Zadok (guitar) came up with. We then fleshed that riff out, and
added fast metal parts with blast beats, a surf rock segment, and a funky guitar solo.
At the very end, the said riff acts as a cliffhanger, which is why we
decided to make Ciorbâ de Burtã the closing track of the album.
With Zadok being the driving force behind this song, we trusted him with choosing a title
for it.
Commemorating his heritage, he decided that we name it after a long-established,
traditional Romanian dish.
And there you have it! Thanks to Immo and the guys in Coping Mechanism for being a part of The Musician’s Tribune for Madness To Creation. Keep up with their Facebook and Instagram for latest news and happenings on Coping Mechanism!
