Hi, everyone! Mustthony Shavetano here, the internet's busiest music nerd, and it's time for a review of this new C.O.F.F.I.N album, Out in Oslo.

Here is the newest and sixth full-length album from Australian rock outfit C.O.F.F.I.N, otherwise known as Children of Finland Fighting in Norway, which apparently is more tongue-in-cheek than it is a statement of a nationalist origin, but it is one of many interesting factoids that you will learn if you decide to watch the band's new documentary 10,000 Miles from Oslo.

Because if you didn't know, C.O.F.F.I.N is having a bit of a moment right now, or at least they're doing their best to conjure one up. Because, as I said, they are currently on their sixth full-length LP, they've been dropping records for about 15 years now, and the band's inception goes even further back than that, to when the band's founding members were merely teenagers living in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney, which made for an interesting soup the band's members took in by osmosis and manifested in their early work in bits of hardcore punk, surf rock, and thrash metal.

Though, eventually, these sounds would meld with a rowdy, rock-and-roll style that calls back to Australia's rich history of anthemic, gritty pub-rock bands like AC/DC and The Saints.

And there's more to the story than that, but the thing is, C.O.F.F.I.N's history is still being written, because this documentary isn't like a rise-and-fall-type progression, nor does it detail some massive cultural peak few other artists will ever see. It's more like a flattering bio of the band's four respective members, combined with a compelling snapshot of how the group got its start, with a side of Jackass-style antics to keep things interesting.

Which I think, in a lot of ways, is enough, because still to this day, it's any wonder how any two, three, four, or five people still get together from various walks of life to decide on playing music together as a profession or a passion. And I think with this record, C.O.F.F.I.N proves there's still magic in that.

As well as the pure, wild spirit of rock-and-roll. You really don't need to look any further than the band's live performances to see that, as a unit, they are kind of a live wire, which definitely comes out in their music, too. It's plainly displayed on their album covers, too, where they can be seen jumping off a boat straight into the sea or even drinking their own piss.

And on this new one as well, I guess they swam out into the freezing cold water in Oslo, trying to get onto this floating dock, to get this picture where a boat that isn't too unlike the one they're jumping off on their "Australia Stops" record is kind of going by. Which further adds to the synergy between Out in Oslo and its predecessor, "Australia Stops."

However, I will say, with Oslo, it does seem like the band is making more effort to kind of sweeten things up a bit when it comes to their sound. There was a lot of production input from Declan Mertens of Amyl and the Sniffers fame on this one, and there was more encouragement for the band to kind of push beyond their pub rock and hardcore tendencies on this one, too. Which I would argue brings mixed results, but it's still interesting to hear the band push past what fans would normally expect on one of their records these days.

Case in point, the song "13 Days", which is really C.O.F.F.I.N's shot at pulling off an acoustic number, and while the song does bring an admirable amount of dynamics and dramatic tension, drummer-singer Ben Portnoy's measured croons aren't quite as gripping as his typical vocal delivery, which is a bestial snarl that makes Lemmy Kilmister sound like he has the voice of an angel. Then there's "Won't Let You Down", which I prefer quite a bit. Between its chords and Wailing Harmonica melodies, it's got a nice kind of country or cowpunk flavor to it.

And in the final leg of the record, C.O.F.F.I.N continues to make their sound just a little bit more palatable, with tracks like "Gettin’ Down", where the pacing is okay, but the big group chorus will most likely get the whole bar singing along on this one. And I presume the song "See Ya Later" is going to scratch a very similar itch, too. It's also where C.O.F.F.I.N's AC/DC Worship is at its highest on this record.

However, between the last three tracks, my personal favorite has to be the closer, where the country flavor comes back into the guitar equation, hits the longest song on the record at five minutes, has some cool call-and-response bits, what sounds like eerie, clunky, metallic bells, and some of the most thoughtful lyrics on the entire record, too, which, given the title, "Miles Away," kind of deals in distance, separation, and escapism.

Sometimes that comes in the form of being out of your mind. Sometimes that comes in the form of being away from what you call home. Making these themes kind of full circle with the opening title track, "Out In Oslo," one of many songs on this record that run a lot closer to your typical C.O.F.F.I.N rock-and-roll rager fare, which is not a complaint, mind you.

It's high-octane rock music with fiery solos and massive group refrains that serve as an unnerving reminder of one's proximity to militaristic violence, with lyrics like: "Well out in Oslo, where a stone's throw away from death / Tonight in Tromso, there'll be missiles flying overhead." But surprisingly is a track that's all about devotion and love, with driving riffs and some piano touches that remind me a bit of classic The Stooges, and some little woo-woo-woo-woo vocal passages that make the song just a wee bit catchier.

Further down the line, you also have tracks like "A Place to Stay", which is my favorite from the record. The subject matter on this one comes as advertised by the title, and the writing is so detailed in its desperation, I'm kind of in awe. The breakdown on the back end of this track is catchy, too. It's crazy how much force there is behind this one, despite it coming from clearly a vulnerable place.

Overall on this record, I think the first half is a lot stronger than the second, though I'm not going to turn my nose up at tracks like "Loose Ties", even if they are a little predictable for C.O.F.F.I.N at this point.

But all of that being said, Out in Oslo is still the band's most commendable album yet, in terms of really condensing their trademark sound on the tracks that are more aggressive and to the point, and also going down some serviceable detours where some risks are taken, with the band coming out mostly unscathed. Which is why I'm feeling a light seven on this one.

Anthony Fantano, C.O.F.F.I.N. Forever.