Coliseum "s/t" CD
[Level-Plane]
Interesting that the first thing I thought when looking at this disc was that it has a lot of visual similarities to Black Cross' work, because I later realized that Black Cross guitarist Ryan Patterson is in this band. This, however, shits all over Black Cross, thankfully! Expect thick and nasty hardcore/punk fucking rock 'n' roll jams with a major sort of Motörhead drive happening, as well as a faster and heavier edge of crust punk in the vein of certain Discharge or His Hero is Gone styles. Similarities to the aforementioned bands are both obvious and quite limited, and there's a lot more going on, so take the comparisons at face value. Most of the vocals are gruffly yelled, but occasionally there are a few backing vocals that are a bit more sung. Some of the more dissonant chords in "Burn Out Bright" have an unusual metal vibe, but then there are some noisier pull-off runs as well; "In Time" keeps the rockin' sort of tempo but throws in subtle melodic chords, whereas "This Mind Locked Inside This Body" is slower/darker and more openly melodic (complete with a catchy sort of framework); and "Give Up and Drive" uses some absolutely fucking awesome discordance, the likes of which is rarely encountered by these ears - by far the most supreme track herein. I love it. The recording kicks ass as well. It's heavy and clear but still uses a lot of dirty texture to the various distorted tones, and the mix rules. I have no complaints. If they turned the bass up a bit and dropped the vocals a step or two back in against the music I think it might get even more powerful, but fuck it. They're already where they need to be. Great artwork too, all done in high contrast black and white with a little metallic silver and red. All of the artwork and photos are pretty appealing, so this definitely catches my eye. The lyrics are generally somewhat succinct and cover open-ended personal issues from an intelligent angle that does have something more to say. "Let's face it there won't be a happy ending we're lost in life I used to believe but now I just move on I see you're still holding on I'll burn along the way let's turn back now the night's descending..." Pound for pound this is an awesome fucking release. Absolutely recommended. This is the best shit I've heard from Louisville in years. One listen to the slightly more metallic "The Simple Answer Is..." should let you know how raging this disc is. Just get this shit and shut the fuck up! (8/10)
Running time - 27:14, Tracks: 12
[Notable tracks: Children of Our Own Creation, Burn Out Bright, This Mind Locked Inside This Body, Give Up and Drive, The Simple Answer Is...]
Level-Plane Records - http://www.level-plane.com

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