Cold Sweat "Blinded" CD
[Manic Ride]
Intense hardcore/punk from this relatively unique act that takes the raw attitude and noisy textures of Black Flag and their ilk and throws in some absolutely pulsing, droning basslines that really drive the tracks and lend a much more menacing feel to the overall atmospheres. Rugged hardcore/punk in the truest sense is still the driving force, but I'm telling you, some of those plodding bass runs really do hit on an almost doomy atmosphere. Make no mistake though, most of the tempos here are fast and furious with plenty of frantic arrangements and lots of caustic playing, while the vocals are just relentless shouts/yells with no bullshit attached. Once "Burn Everything" gets going it's among the more straightforward hardcore/punk attacks herein, "Praying Tied Down" is a little more hyper and some of the frantic pull-off riffs have more of a contemporary feel, "In the Dark" is driven by bass and drums with squealing feedback in the distance - and the vocals become a bit more pronounced (though still low in the mix) for a much more sinister and uncharacteristic piece that really kills, "Stuck" throws in some amazing uses of dissonant melody out of nowhere, and the four-minute title track slows things down and stays fairly tangible rhythmically - definitely among the finer moments herein. As expected the recording is sort of raw, but in the most appropriate sense. The guitars can get pretty acerbic, the drums are pretty plain (and I like that), the vocals are dry and rest right in with the instruments, etc. The bass tone is the one shift, because it's so fucking thick and dense, which is just awesome here, because it fills in what empty space might be left otherwise and forces itself to really be a driving force in the song structures. I love that shit... totally awesome. Visually things are minimal but pretty damn stark as all of the photography, including the shot of the vocalist, is pretty fucking powerful. The red, black, and white color scheme with basic, bold text also helps make things really jump out at you. I'm all over the lyrics, too: Blunt, bitter, pissed as hell. "Cold eyes a life worse than death cold sweat not worth living what's left there's no fucking choice this is the only way you're shut down not even awake dance of death your mistake won't spend my life in chains I've been asleep too long but now I'm wide awake I've made my mistakes some won't go away but I won't be led astray into an early grave won't spend my life in chains." Good stuff overall. Musically it can get a little irritating at times, this ain't easy listening hardcore, but the overall impact and aesthetic of this release definitely hit home. I'm all for it. (7/10)
Running time - 21:44, Tracks: 12
[Notable tracks: Steps of Churches, In the Dark, Stuck, Blinded]
Manic Ride Records - http://www.manicriderecords.com

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