Release Date: June 26th 2024. Record Label: Roman Numeral Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl
Cold Wives - Cold Wives: Tracklisting
1.Unwashed and Misunderstood 05:13
2.Foreign Matters 03:30
3.Terra Prime 05:22
4.Shrink 05:04
5.Barney, King Of Rubble. 06:58
6.Furnace Tapes 06:06
7.Supervention 05:15
8.Eventide 06:50
9.Foxhole Buddies (Bonus Track) 05:24
Members
Brendan Tobin - Guitar/Synth/Vocals
Eric Cooper - Bass/Vocals
Josh Paul - Drums
Cory Brim - Guitar
Review
Cold Wives is a new band featuring current and former members of Made Out of Babies, Unsane, Red Sparowes, Glassing and Dining With Dogs. You could call the band a supergroup but they feel about as far removed from that musical term as brutally possible on their intense self-titled album. The album is an aggressive and violent mix of Hardcore Punk. Sludge Metal, Post-Metal, Noise Rock and good old fashioned METALLIC aggression.
However, there’s some absolutely stunning Psychedelic and Sonic experimentation within this album which showcases another great style of storytelling from the band especially within the outstanding opening track of Unwashed and Misunderstood. The majority of the song sees Cold Wives play a rousing blend of Hardcore Punk and Sludge Metal with the excellent vocals from Brendan Tobin and Eric Cooper. Though the harsh Post-Metal and Noise Rock distorted sounds do have a certain “Steve Albini” flavour to them.
Second song Foreign Matters is just pure Noise Rock mayhem and Sludgy metallic guitars moving along with the Hardcore Punk and Heavy Synth sounds that Cold Wives deliver with wild and reckless abandonment. However, listen to the socially aware lyrics that bring a fresh politically charged narrative to the album. The music is constantly evolving into a different style of music even within the closer stages of the song.
Third song Terra Prime becomes influenced by bands such as FAITH NO MORE and THE MELVINS whilst allowing Cold Wives to play their own style of thrilling music that bridges the gap between freaky Psychedelics and classic Sludge/Post-Metal rhythms for one of the standout tracks on the whole album. The socially aware lyrics align Cold Wives back into the world of Hardcore Punk and Noise Rock with the sludgy guitars offering a bleak and cynical cold-hearted world.
Fourth song Shrink is another heavy and dystopian offering with Cold Wives experimenting again with synths, psychedelic beats and daring FUNK BASS rhythms which are all set against a backdrop of Sludge Metal guitars and an intense Metallic Punk based rhythm section. The vocals go completely “OFF THE RANGE” again which adds to dazzling and dizzying madness of the entire track which becomes more commonplace throughout the whole album.
Cold Wives operate with an Experimental “STOP/START” rhythm with their music which can be quite “JAZZY” and “OVERPOWERING” in places but this allows the band to have a wild sense of imagination to their music which becomes one of the main strengths for Cold Wives to build their music upon especially on tracks such as: “Barney, King Of Rubble”, Furnace Tropes, Supervention and Eventide.
As I said earlier within the review, if you dig bands such as Faith No More, The Melvins and even WHORES and KOWLOON WALLED CITY then Cold Wives create similar themes, sounds and experimental grooves whilst still delivering their own highly original take of HEAVY MUSIC that takes a NO HOLDS BARRED approach with the lyrics contained throughout the whole album.
Cold Wives debut album is one of the most fearless, striking and thought provoking records I’ve heard this year.
Words by Steve Howe
Links
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