Cold
A Different Kind Of Pain

I am about to review a band of which I've always only owned this album, and which I have never followed enough. At the time, I quite liked the record, and I must admit that I still listen to it with pleasure, even though my tastes have changed since that 2005 when it was released and I bought it. The band is Cold, an American group of postgrunge - nu-metal background, and the album in question is "A Different Kind Of Pain." Note, I said "of background," because if you’re looking for those two genres, you won't find them here at all. What you will find, however, is good technique, style, some good tracks, some big ballads, fragments of hearts forgotten between some grooves of the CD and good rock with radio-friendly metal hues. Don't get me wrong, the album isn't terrible; it lands just above average, but as I said, it's very pleasant.

Let’s consider, for example, "Feel It In Your Heart": sometimes it feels like listening to Nickelback (and for me that is already generally horrifying), yet the song flows well. It's a semi-bittersweet ballad with metal guitars underscoring a good chorus, with the singer Scooter Ward’s voice rich in pathos and intensity.

"Anathomy Of A Tidal Wave" is definitely one of the catchier highlights of the record, with a chorus that you'll surely hum along to after just one listen. In contrast, the title track is an intense ballad built around a good piano section, where the singer lays out all his emotions and pain. It really feels like a hug in the rain after a fight with the person you love, a pat on the back from a friend who comes to you when you least expect it, like finding a photo from your childhood in an unsightly, typically eighties album cover. I know these are clichés, but still, this track touches something, it's undeniable.

On a completely different note are "When Heaven's Not Far Away", "God's Song", "When Angels Fly Away", and "Ocean". Here the band, although making very catchy and immediate tracks, brings out a hint of musical fierceness, translating into a more metallic presence and some slightly more substantial and rocky passages. Among the four mentioned, I’d particularly highlight the concluding track "Ocean", where everything fits well: the voice is modulated in different ways conveying a decent range of emotions, the rhythm section is very punctual and present, and the melody is highly focused on simple and effective choruses.

For those who know Cold well, this album might be a definite step back, where the band has sold out to the market, giving in to easy catchy melodies and "tearjerker" ballads. From my perspective as someone who didn’t know them, and I repeat, practically still doesn’t, the album instead stands at a good seven: it has the cards in play to please most, the band undeniably knows how to play, and I find nothing wrong with becoming a bit more accessible. Of course, if bands I worship did this, maybe I would wrinkle my nose, but since I am somewhat of a novice with this band, the move has convinced me quite well. There is no growl, no screamo, no shouted anger, nor roaring riffs, but only the desire to craft a good product with a decent slice of heart inside.