How come the only person I know that's even HEARD this band has been Adam? They are perfect.
It's like shoegaze made by people who grew up listening to old Morbid Angel and Death records. It's interesting watching early live videos and then newer live videos; the long hair was cut and the Ibanez's were traded for Fenders. I've heard someone say they're like the Japanese version of maudlin of the Well... I wouldn't say that since this band rock out a lot more though they both share this large musical scope.
Their earlier stuff is worse than their albums from the past 10 years mainly because the earlier albums have very monotonous rhythms and dynamics. If you listen to 'Visitors from the Deepspace', 3 or 4 songs have the exact same rhythm and drumbeat... it's weird. I still like it a lot but when they started playing more clean guitars and had female vocals I think that's when they really hit their stride.
A lot of the chords and structures seem very specific to this band. I can't really think of any band that truly sounds like them other than something like Plastic Tree (which has ripped off Coaltar of the Deepers a lot I think). I was working out the other day and decided to just play all the Coaltar albums that was on my iPod and ended up listening to them for the rest of the day. I think their best asset is piecing the parts of their songs together; often times my most favourite part is when they go into this shoegazey clean bit and then burst into a fast melodic rock passage. Wonderful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbjeCTC16Yo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pADYaKph7Uo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOi9NJQ2i8o