COLD Vinyl & CDs

Review: Cold's 'Strobelingt Network' feels like a deliberate exercise in creating a mood that shifts imperceptibly, track by track. 'Strobe Light Network' leads with a hypnotic, pulsating bassline that anchors the track while the layers of synths flicker above it, creating a sense of steady forward motion. It's a track that seems to take its time, building an atmosphere that's both immersive and intense. 'Hyper Experience' builds on this, with its murkier, more intricate textures, and the 2024 edit adds a deeper, almost industrial undercurrent. The track's groove doesn't change much, but the added layers make it feel more expansive. It's a masterclass in subtlety: Cold's production keeps things moving while maintaining an air of suspense, suggesting that the next step could take the music somewhere completely new. The EP ultimately offers a refreshing depth, pushing techno further while remaining firmly in its roots.

Review: The self-titled debut studio album by Jacksonville-based rock band Cold, originally released in 1998. Discovered by A&R man Fred Durst (from Limp Bizkit), Cold burst onto the scene with this potent blend of raw emotion, haunting melodies, and powerful instrumentation. Led by vocalist Scoot Ward, the band quickly garnered attention for their introspective lyrics and intense live performances. With a variegated nu-metal sound - the listener is only first thrust into an ostensibly incendiary sound with 'Go Away', both satisfyingly crisp and grungey in equal measure, before finding respite in the more temperate moments that pepper the record, as on 'Ugly' or 'Strip Her Down' - Cold recalls every influence between Alice In Chains and Type O Negative, and nestles a palpably unique sense of longing in the cracks between the otherwise more prescriptive pillars of the grunge style.

Review: Waage is at the heart of the contemporary dub techno scene and makes another fine statement with this outing on Icelandic titan Exos's X/OZ Music. This is his fourth outing and it could be his best: 'W9' rolls with great depth and grainy dub textures that speak of a subterranean world. 'W10' is more dark and heavy like it's soundtracking a dirty factory after dark. 'W11 (feat Cold)' layers in some psychedelic swirls to frictionless beats that could roll for days and never get old. 'W12 (feat Exos)' is lighter and more airy with a playful bounce in the drums.