Coincidence; not something I’d class as a phenomenon as such but, it’s weird how some things just happen to fall together. In this instance, I’ll be talking about Minneapolis Minnesota…why you ask? Well when I’m not writing reviews I spend (Some might say waste) a lot of time on YouTube watching what many would describe as “random shit”…and lately I’ve been watching a lot of political interviews with former Minnesota governor JESSE VENTURA…you might remember him from his time in the then World Wrestling Federation…but his no nonsense, brutal honesty towards the American government is refreshing and I urge you to go have a listen to what he has to say…anyway I digress, as it turns out, the next band on my list for this blog, also happens to be from Minneapolis! So that’s a nice Segway to allow me to introduce to you COLD KINGDOM. Formed in 2014, the five-piece (Consisting of vocalist Dani Engum, bassist Jason Michael, drummer Chris Morley and guitarists Evan Ogaard and Zac Boyd) have done pretty well for themselves in their formative years, having supported the likes of BUCKCHERRY and SALIVA…and earlier this year they released a new self-titled EP…appropriately being a snow day, let’s check out “Cold Kingdom”
The EP opens up with “The Break” and right away we’re met with an incredibly rich piece of bold alternative rock…it’s up-beat and catchy with its pop-inspired hooks and melodies, the resulting chorus is genuinely infectious, while the guitar work here retains a hard-rock vibe. Gang vocals give the song ample depth and the solo is OK…as openers go it’s on-point, it’s a solid track and slots itself somewhere between HALESTORM and IN THIS MOMENT to some extent…a decent start. Following on from this we take it down several gears for “In Stereo”…a power ballad of sorts, it’s dramatic without sounding pompous and it’s well delivered…Dani gets to showcase her impressive vocals and ironically this is the kind of thing fans of THE DIRTY YOUTH could get into…anyone for a Dani-duet?
It’s not long before we’re back to the meat and potatoes however courtesy of “Not Tonight” and we’re greeted with the gritty riff-work of Zac and Evan; its impassioned and even Dani gets a little agro too, this is decent alt. metal, which can also be said of “Perfect Chambers”…the riffs here are crunching, there’s a lot more weight behind them, this musically is probably the heaviest track on offer here, this is something you can head-bang too but it loses none of the bands melodic qualities in the process, despite the breakdown-outro…before we finish up then on second ballad "Child". Far, far softer, it’s slower, with sweeping string sections and acoustic subtlety…it’s incredibly tender and emotional, rounding the EP off nicely. Despite its five-track length here you can still appreciate a diversity in the way Cold Kingdom write and create and they’ve done themselves proud with a genuinely solid outing here. The production is good and each track here is enjoyable in its own right…Cold Kingdom should at least make you feel all warm inside. [7]
The EP opens up with “The Break” and right away we’re met with an incredibly rich piece of bold alternative rock…it’s up-beat and catchy with its pop-inspired hooks and melodies, the resulting chorus is genuinely infectious, while the guitar work here retains a hard-rock vibe. Gang vocals give the song ample depth and the solo is OK…as openers go it’s on-point, it’s a solid track and slots itself somewhere between HALESTORM and IN THIS MOMENT to some extent…a decent start. Following on from this we take it down several gears for “In Stereo”…a power ballad of sorts, it’s dramatic without sounding pompous and it’s well delivered…Dani gets to showcase her impressive vocals and ironically this is the kind of thing fans of THE DIRTY YOUTH could get into…anyone for a Dani-duet?
It’s not long before we’re back to the meat and potatoes however courtesy of “Not Tonight” and we’re greeted with the gritty riff-work of Zac and Evan; its impassioned and even Dani gets a little agro too, this is decent alt. metal, which can also be said of “Perfect Chambers”…the riffs here are crunching, there’s a lot more weight behind them, this musically is probably the heaviest track on offer here, this is something you can head-bang too but it loses none of the bands melodic qualities in the process, despite the breakdown-outro…before we finish up then on second ballad "Child". Far, far softer, it’s slower, with sweeping string sections and acoustic subtlety…it’s incredibly tender and emotional, rounding the EP off nicely. Despite its five-track length here you can still appreciate a diversity in the way Cold Kingdom write and create and they’ve done themselves proud with a genuinely solid outing here. The production is good and each track here is enjoyable in its own right…Cold Kingdom should at least make you feel all warm inside. [7]
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