Paolo Bertoni
Coil. Arcangeli del Caos

In his monumental tome England's Hidden Reverse, David Keenan emphasized how Current 93, Coil, and Nurse With Wound were the modern reincarnation of a certain tradition of eccentric artists typical of Great Britain. I believe this fact is undeniable: David Tibet in particular cultivated a real worship for minor painters like Charles Sims and for writers such as Arthur Machen, Montague Rhodes James, and Eric Count Stenbock. No less are, in their own way, Nurse With Wound and also Coil. After the death of founding members John Balance and Peter Christopherson, there was a need for a text that would put some order on what the English group was and embodied. I therefore greeted with great interest the news of the release of the book by Paolo Bertoni Coil. Arcangeli del Caos. Coil are heirs of the English esoteric tradition and of figures like Aleister Crowley and Austin Osman Spare. Unfortunately, the group of John Balance and Peter Christopherson no longer exists today. However, its legacy has not been lost and can be found in some masterpiece records, not to mention their influence on genres like gothic-rock, neo-folk, dark-ambient.

Paolo Bertoni's book is valid in following the chronological development of their discography which, at a certain point, had become a real puzzle for collectors. Bertoni's style is undoubtedly dazzling, baroque, and intricate, although the use of punctuation is sometimes questionable and may be indigestible to some. Bertoni emphasizes how the most important artistic phase of Coil is the first: indeed, two records like Scatology and Horse Rotorvator still shine today with a dark aura and represent the dark side of the 80s. Practically with these enigmatic works, Coil invented a sound definable as a gothic and esoteric version of industrial. With Loves’ Secret Domain, they surprised everyone with an acid house music record (but at the time the phenomenon was raging in England). Anyway, it is a very influential group, so much so that Trent Reznor (as highlighted in the book) has stated that Horse Rotorvator was a primary influence for Nine Inch Nails. But in reality, it is the imagery of Coil that fascinates Reznor: it is impossible to talk about them without considering their heterodox references, esotericism, the occult, deviant sexuality (their debut EP How To Destroy Angels was conceived to accumulate male sexual energy), the gay culture they belong to, drugs, and fetish names of alternative and non-alternative culture like Pier Paolo Pasolini (“Ostia” on Horse Rotorvator remains one of their musts), horror writer Clive Barker (for whom they composed the soundtrack of Hellraiser which was then rejected), the great H.P. Lovecraft (the logo of their label Threshold House is inspired by HPL’s story “The Temple") and director Derek Jarman as well as the aforementioned Aleister Crowley and Austin Osmane Spare.

Surely the Coil of the second phase of their career (the one of Musick To Play In The Dark) are something else compared to the beginning and sound different, more musical (also thanks to the entry of Thighpaulsandra) and calmer compared to those of Scatology. Personally, I have always been a great fan of Musick To Play In The Dark and I believe that Coil gave their best in this record and in the subsequent works up to the posthumous The Ape Of Naples. I agree with Bertoni in considering the first phase the most original but I find more interesting the way they later knew how to reinvent their sound and thus update the legacy of Krautrock.

In any case, beyond opinions, this volume may be useful to novices but also to those who want to delve deeper into a group that has always been elusive with some delectable anecdotes.

Paolo Bertoni “Coil. Arcangeli del Caos” – Blow Up Director’s Cut series #19, 132 p., sewn paperback, with flaps – Tuttle – Euro 12