In light of the recent death of John Balance, I can think of no better a time for a re-evaluation of Coil’s musical history. To begin, I would like to consider Coil’s first three albums.

I believe that I can say without hyperbole that Coil’s Scatology is the finest example of a first album acting as a mission statement for the career to follow. The title of the album nearly gives the game away; on Scatology Coil prove that there is musical genius to be found in junk equipment and throwaway sounds. Despite the lack of modern electronic musical equipment that we now take for granted, Coil managed to create jarring, innovative soundscapes with whatever came readily to hand. Though less polished than many of their future releases, this album was a groundbreaking blurring of the line between early industrial music and unrelenting experimentalism.

While Horse Rotorvator continues along the same aesthetic path as Scatology, it shows Coil working in a more thematically coherent fashion. If anything, Horse Rotorvator is a darker album than its predecessor; it is a culmination of decadence, militarism, and homoeroticism–all of which are themes that Coil returned to over and over again in their work. If Scatology is the blueprint for Coil’s musical aesthetic, Horse Rotorvator is its heart and soul.

In many ways, Love’s Secret Domain was a brave departure for the group. Though the album is still recognizable as a product of the collective Coil mindset, the overall sonic aesthetic at work is quite a bit different from the prior two albums. Most notably, Love’s Secret Domain finds Coil going head-to-head with the burgeoning dance music movement. In a stroke of brilliance, Coil managed to inject house music with living, breathing soul on tracks such as “The Snow” and “Windowpane”. Overall, Love’s Secret Domain remains Coil’s most appreciated work. Whether this is due to the greater distribution the album received internationally or due to its pure artistic integrity is a question I will leave you to ponder for yourself.

In any event, these three albums are not to be missed. They are singular musical expressions, inspiring, yet irreproducible.

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