Release date: 22nd February 2019
I’m a bit of a sucker for death/doom, so when the promo for Cold Colours’ latest album Northernmost landed in my inbox, it immediately piqued my interest. The fifth album from the band, it’s a polished and well-constructed collection of tracks, and an enjoyable listen.
Although it doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel as such, that’s not necessarily a bad thing because it’s all just so good. Northernmost is a very immersive piece, with songs progressing almost seamlessly into one another, and the combination of softness and aggression is just right.
Spirit, which sits nicely in the middle of the album, is one of the stronger tracks. Starting out with a crushing riff, you feel it in your bones, it’s then followed up well with succinctly delivered snarls. These then segue into a stunning gentle instrumental section, which slowly gets more and more layers added to it to end the track on a high. It incorporates every element of Cold Colours’ sound, and is just an absolute stunner.
It’s difficult to pinpoint many songs as being exact ‘highlights’, however. Northernmost feels a little bit like one long track made up of several different sections, and since it flows so well from one to the next, it’s quite easy to get lost in the music – which is certainly not a bad thing.
All in all, a solid release. it’s clear that Cold Colours has spent a lot of time perfecting their art, and Northernmost certainly hits a lot of the right notes.
8/10
