Satan's Luau

Cold - Year of the Spider: B-/B

This is my first Cold CD so I don't really know much about the band's past or any buzz (or buzzkill for that matter) related to the band

All I know is that this band has been speaking to me as if by methods of fate to listen to them ... it sounds so grand, it's really not ... actually quite by accident I've heard tracks of this CD on Hard Drive and while switching channels (there was a snippet on WWE TV)

I have a severe reluctance to listen to or review nu-metal and this is a bias that I think you should be made aware of ... today there was a few hundred people who came across and read us, so we know there is a larger audience of people that I don't know personally who actually spend a portion of their lives reading this, so I owe it to you all to declare bias when appropriate

This is not a nu-metal sounding disc I am quite happy to report ... it seems like all of the former disciples who realize that their survival is on the line are trying to reinvent themselves and come up with credible survivalist hard rock/alt rock stylings

Year of the Spider is no exception ... I think I read some place where the reviewer was saying that this band should blend with Staind ... and in some ways, I think that is a fair statement ... in some other ways, I think this is Staind's best friend more than a twin, clone or potential share partner of genetic combinations

What you hear with this CD is a surprising combination of sensible, urgent hard alt rock ... that mostly stays away from the Nickleback or Creed stylings ... and explores territory that is more reminiscent of Bush "Sixteen Stone" and late 80s, early 90s alt rock ... in other words, solid harder rock with alt influences that is catchy and really listenable

"Remedy" will catch you right out of the gate with its Bush-like aggro from the mid 90s that even Mr. Gwen Stefani (ha) don't do no more ... "Suffocate" is a really radio friendly, story about control with a great singalong chorus ... "Cure My Tragedy" is a Staind style crunchy power ballad which is so listenable and cool because of cool music and vocal effects

"Stupid Girl", well, I'm sure all of you have heard this one ... very straightforward alt rocker with a nice hook that uses the title ... and the thing is, it's not the strongest track on the CD, at least to this reviewer, but a good listen nonetheless

"Don't Belong" is a kind of average power ballad in the alt hard rock sense, easy to listen to ... but probably not that long-term interesting ... "Wasted Years" kind of shares my sentiments about "Don't Belong" with the only difference being the predominance of acoustic jangle to this track ... easy but not all that LT-interesting

"Whatever you became" ... hmmm, deep deep in new wave and alternative rock influence from the 80s/90s --- nice little track, again following the trend ... easy to listen to, not really sure how timeless the track will be

"Sad Happy" ... this is really one of the outstanding tracks on this CD ... doomy dark topic, gloomy bass driven alt rocker ... nice lyrics, and hey easy listening ...sense a trend (radio friendly) ... the structure towards the end reminds of arena rock (its kinda almost Journey-esque)

"Rain Song" is more radio friendly alt rock, solid track, nice guitar lead on this one ... and just a grooving power ballad feel --- this is probably where the Staind twin comments probably come from

Ok did every former nu-met band decide to record songs about the dead poets of the Seattle Grunge movement ... again, let me say ... the track here is "The Day Seattle Died" ... NICE GESTURE .... but will one of you come up with a song that doesn't either make me say so? or this sucks, please

"Change the World" ... has a early part that is drum roll driven ... and this one is probably the closest Cold gets to its nu-met roots ... but the bridge into chorus is just damn catchy power balladesque ... so this one is kind of mixed, part irritation inducing part, exhilaration inducing ... thumbs in the middle on this one

"Black Sunday" ... again, channeling some Aaron from Staind here ... same as some of the other tracks ... jangle acoustic lead, power ballad, easy to listen to, but not sure if it'll hold your attention over the long haul

"Kill the music industry" ... is this Metallica's ONE?... gunfire sounding intro ... this one is a cruncher, that really kinda Growl-smacks it ... and does it better, imagine that ... ha ... it's an ok track that does a Manson-type youth scream chorus ... its pretty average overall, maybe the most inaccessible of the tracks

Hidden track "Gone Away" ... well, is it hidden because they're ashamed of it? ... it's a very average Staind soundalike ... listenable, but this time not really short term interesting

All you are really left with at the end of the spin, that is if you like hard rock with alty elements, is that you wonder what some of these songs sound like live ... and my guess is, they sound really great ... and overall, that's what you get with this album, something that is easy to listen to, but not heavy in the cliches and overworking some of the emotionality of the songs

The only negative I can come up with is that some of these songs sound very alike and bleed into each other ... so maybe a better producer will keep some of the soundalikes in the vault or on the floor ... not that they arent easy to listen to or repugnant ... it just might tire your ears after a while

I think that this band will be one of the bands standing after the remainder of nu-metal collapses ... and that's really great because this album showcased that this band has a lot of good elements going for it, good solid hard rock songwriting, very solid vocalist, and good rhythm section (the drummer McCandless is one of the better ones out of nu-met) ... a good start into the mainstream really

I'm not pronouncing them to be kings or exemplars of a new movement, but they sure play great music to listen to at least in the short term ... and that's all that I'm after, really

Oh yeah, you also get a DVD ... wow, is this getting old or what? ... ha ... it has the vid for "Stupid Girl" and some making the vid stuff and studio foot