Time of Cholera and Drop Dead, Gorgeous…

A couple of years ago, the debut full-length from Time of Cholera (formerly Love in the Time of Cholera) was one of the most promising metalcore albums I had encountered in recent times. Since then, their more recent "Collapse of the Forsaken" EP has slipped past me, but this late-2006 demo recording solidifies (if not strengthens) my opinion of the band's talents, and proves once again how little justice there is in this wretched world—as any number of half-assed, mediocre-at-best metalcore acts have stumbled onto mild to moderate "success" in that time, while Time of Cholera continues to search for proper label support. I'm not saying that what they're doing is particularly inventive, because that's not really the case, but these three tracks in just about 12 minutes (the fourth track is just a brief ambient outro) provide a very solid listen that sees the band focusing their diverse range of influences into a more consistent listen. Perhaps a touch more aggressive than their debut, smatterings of discordant melody still seep into place—but don't get the wrong idea, as this is quite tactful, and I would actually guess that some of those who weren't fans of the band's earlier work would start to gain a greater appreciation for them now. In a genre that's plagued by hundreds—if not thousands—of bands that are all doing exactly the same thing, it's acts like Time of Cholera that, at least for me, set themselves apart through two very important characteristics: 1. quality songwriting, and 2. excellent recordings. I mean, sound-wise this one-day demo session easily stands up against anything you'd hear from a Trustkill- or Ferret-sized label, so what gives? There's just no reason for these cats not to have been scooped up by now. Who knows? Maybe it's the fact that they all look like normal, respectable dudes who don't do the whole bad-hair-and-way-too-tight-clothes thing... but labels that go for that shit all deserve to be burned at the stake anyway, so... I guess the quest for justice remains unending... at least for now.

Time of Cholera "Waterlunged"

I don't think this is an "official" demo per se as there's no packaging or whatnot, but you should hit these dudes up through their website or MySpace about getting your hands on some material if you dig it. And if you run a label that doesn't suck, hey, maybe you can even help 'em out?