Music Review: Cold Snap - Perfection

Hey! Who new that nu-metal was still a genre for up and comers? I realize that pretty much every genre will have its practitioners new and old, but there is a cyclical nature to these sort of things. In the case of nu-metal and its ilk, they are definitely on a down swing, a way down swing. There are few acts that can get away with these elements today and it is the few that rose to fame when the genre was fresh and have been able to adapt their sound and keep fresh elements in their sound. You know, bands like Korn, Slipknot, Mushroomhead, perhaps Disturbed and their ilk. Yes, I like those bands and nu-metal may not be the best way to describe their sound, but you know what I am saying, you recognize that the style is not as widespread as it was.



Here we have Cold Snap whose music has a certain attraction, but not for the right reasons. Sure, they know how to play their instruments and the production is slick, but that is about as far as the compliments can go. As for the music, it is like they took elements of popular bands and molded them into new shapes for their use. The end result is a mash that touches on a nostalgia factor but fails to bring anything new to the table and ultimately disappoints.

If all you want is an album to put on that feels vaguely familiar to fans of these acts and need something with an upbeat sound to get a crowd moving in a party, this should do the trick. It is familiar enough to catch peoples ears but nondescript enough for them not to worry about listening too hard. Of course, should you want something worth listening to, this is not going to do the trick as you will spend your time trying to place where you've heard these bits before.

Korn, Limp Bizkit, Slipknot, Faith No More, Soulfly, Puya, and more crop up here. The most obvious piece is the singer who you will swear is Corey Taylor. Seriously, the guy seems to have studied every video and listened to every piece of music, he sounds a lot like him. He would probably be better off starting a Slipknot tribute act. Wow.

I found that when I listened to this without focusing on it, I had little problem with it. It is catchy, has some groove and is easy to keep on the edges of my mind while doing whatever I need to do. However, when I listened to it, I just could not get into it. The influences were too much on the surface. The music feels dated. 5-10 years ago and this probably could have gotten a more solid foot in the door.

Again, they know how to play and they work well together as group. The issue is not their potential, the problem is the songwriting. Some of the content is just a little off and fails to either work or even make sense. It is the rare band that can have a song about a rape, "Friend," and whatever "Bongo Bong" is supposed to be. I get there is a comedic/satirical bent to some of these songs, but it just does not work.

Bottomline. If you have this around and need something to play, go ahead, but I cannot recommend you go out of your way for it. Nostalgia is one thing, but when you can get the real thing in your own collections there is no need for this.

Not Recommended.