Cold Albums (4)
'A Different Kind of Pain'
Release Date 1/1/2005
Tracks 11
Label Lava
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What The Critics Say
Their guitars are certainly loud, and there are moments when Scooter Ward bellows. But with Different Kind of Pain, Cold has largely departed alternative metal for brooding electric ballads. Distorted notes ring out meaningfully as Ward dwells on despair, shame, and symphonies of sadness. "If God created love, did he make it for everyone?" This is a very similar trajectory to Staind's, where feelings matter considerably more than rocking, and the quest for redemption never seems to end. Cold did almost end, incidentally. In 2003, Geffen soured on the band in the midst of promotion for their sophomore album Year of the Spider. Internal strife followed; Kelly Hayes departed, and Terry Balsamo joined Evanescence. Ward even had sick family members to deal with. Still, the band regrouped with new members, and a new label in Lava/Atlantic. Maybe that adversity accounts for Different Kind of Pain's subdued, searching feel. On the title track, the sound of pattering rain gives way to reflective piano notes and more unguarded lyrics from Ward; a guitar surges forth toward the end, but instead of launching into a explosive solo it only sets up the chorus once again. This is a song slow-motion hugs are made of, and there's nothing metal, or even post-grunge about it. Heaviness isn't a requirement for the band to be effective. But unfortunately, like Staind, Cold often loses sight of real melody in their examination of the soul. Their songs might add a sweep of violins, or give a guitar a chance to chug out some rhythmic tension, but "When Heaven's Not Far Away" and "Back Home" are the only real standouts. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
'Year of the Spider'
Release Date 4/29/2003
Tracks 13
Label Interscope
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What The Critics Say
While no less a nu-metal authority than Fred Durst was their original benefactor, Jacksonville's Cold has always had a secret weapon in its heavy rock arsenal: mouthpiece. It's mouthpiece Scooter Ward's powerful singing -- not shouting or rapping, like so many of his contemporaries -- that distances he and his mates from the pack. This doesn't mean they're better; indeed, Cold's first two releases weren't consistently strong efforts. However, with the release of Year of the Spider, Cold has placed more emphasis on atmospherics, centered itself behind Ward's lyrics, and has even collaborated with Weezer. While these moves might alienate some metalheads out there, it's a great way of surviving the coming day of judgment, when the bell will toll for all but the best of the nu-metal moaners. Year of the Spider was produced by Howard Benson, who's best-known for masterminding P.O.D.'s triple-platinum Satellite. Just as that group tempers its pummeling rhythms with passionate lyricism, so Benson has massaged the aggro-metal of Cold's initial releases into a better framework for Ward's gruff croon and deeply personal lyrics. Grappling with a family crisis, Ward pleads bitterly and openly in "Cure My Tragedy (A Letter to God)": "If you make the world a stage for me then I hope that you can hear me scream," he sings. "Don't take her smile away from me she's broken and I'm far away." It's arresting to hear such defiant honesty in a genre that, despite its reliance on depressing themes and personal rage, too often is maligned by its own acrimony. "Wasted Years" reaffirms this sentiment. An ambitious, acoustic-driven ballad accentuated by a full string section, the song builds with Ward harmonizing over specters of himself, repeating the song's desperate words until the final couplet. "It's not hard to fail/It's not easy to win." While this sort of impassioned lyricism can easily become a cliché, it's a credit to Ward's talent as a singer that he sells it. Sure, he sounds too much like Maynard James Keenan, and often seems like the emotional twin of Aaron Lewis. And in its new, more tuneful configuration, Cold can at times approximate the populist alt-rock of Bush. But none of this diminishes the fact that, in the bombastic, one-dimensional world of nu-metal, Cold's regeneration as a melodic, vocal-driven metal band helps it stand out, and will likely help it survive when the industry inevitably pushes away from the post-grunge table. Ward co-wrote the standout single "Stupid Girl" with Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, and while nothing else on the record features as hooky a chorus, the appearance of Dollshead vocalist Sierra Swan livens up the otherwise dour "Suffocate." (The move toward female vocal contributions in metal, illustrated best by the success of Evanescence, is an encouraging trend toward levity.) Year of the Spider is still bruised with the clichés that burden so many releases in this genre. But the dreary purples, blues, and blacks have faded just enough to reveal a band that isn't as concerned with anger and volume as it is with emotion and melodic breadth. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
'13 Ways to Bleed on Stage'
Release Date 9/12/2000
Tracks 13
Label Geffen
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What The Critics Say
As the title might suggest, this grunge-metal effort is suitably gloomy and visceral, both in the growling vocal delivery of lead singer Scooter and the band's triple guitar assault. While it's nothing remarkable, there are enough decent hooks to tunes like "End of the World" and "Just Got Wicked" to make the album appealing to even the downright optimistic. ~ Tim Sheridan, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Cold's eponymous debut is a set of ugly, harsh post-alternative metal in the vein of Korn. The group concentrates on brutal, bleak riffing, instead of tight songwriting -- it's an album about texture, where the hard-hitting, post-thrash rhythms and the group's vaguely nihlistic undertone combine to form a scary, provocative succession of sound. Cold's songwriting isn't always great and they're too concerned with adolscent angst and horror ("Everyone Dies," "Insane," "Serial Killer," etc.), but the band's sound is fully formed, resutling in a strong debut. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
