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Album: Cold: A Different Kind Of Pain
Street Date: August 30, 2005
Length: 42:42
Rating: 
Reviewed by: Kevin
A lot has happened since we last heard from Cold. In 2003 they released a phenomenal album called Year Of The Spider, then went on the Nintendo Fusion tour with Evanescence which wrapped up in the fall of 2003. Soon after Cold suffered a painful blow, both guitarists left the band. Kelley Hayes & Terry Balsamo, who then joined Evanescence after they had lost their lead guitarist Ben Moody. But Cold continued on, adding 2 new guitarists Matt Loughran & Mike Booth.
Going into this album I was hoping for the best, but after changes like these, I just had a nagging feeling that the magic would be gone. That is a lot of baggage going into a new album, but Cold stepped up to this challenge and delivered us A Different Kind Of Pain.
1. Back Home - Right from the start they try and deliver a song that will remind you of the same Cold we've known all along. It's got the crunching guitars and Scooter's trademark sound. It opens the album well and you're right back with them.
2. Feel It In Your Heart - I was much more unsure of this track. Lyrically is great, but the tempo is much lower, and really left me questioning what the thought process was behind the song and putting it on the album.
3. Anatomy Of A Tidal Wave - They banked this on the hook of the song. When Scooter gets to the line "It's like a tital wave" is almost catchy. It reminds me of "The End Of The World" from their 13 Ways To Bleed album, and could easily see this being a 2nd or third single down the road. "It was the calm that killed the storm."
4. A Different Kind of Pain - There's a sound effects lead in to this track from the previous, it's a good trick to keep things flowing. Once the piano starts, you see what a beautiful track this is, not at all what I had imagined the title track would be like. There's some very nice vocal layering used too which I liked.
5. Another Pill - There is something familiar about the way this is written, a theme that has been in several Cold song in years past. Comparing life to a drug and vice versa, and it still works.
6. Happens All The Time - This was chosen as the lead single from the album. Perfect choice. Great guitar work, meaningful lyrics "I must hold on" As the band tries to reestablish themselves, they proved they can do it with this song.
7. When Heaven's Not Far Away - "If God created love, did he make it for everyone?" That's a damn good question. Solitude is another theme throughout, and you really feel that emotion here too.
8. God's Song - It's not a song about God as much as it is about a relationship. Overall I would say it's one of the weaker tracks on the album.
9. When Angels Fly Away - Now this is a much stronger track. Heavier guitars, great lyrics, a mainstream rock sound.
10. Tell Me Why - This does not sound like a typical Cold song, they really went in a new direction with the music. And I love this new direction! Piano mixed with rock, it's a great combination that sounds amazing. Even Scooter's voice sounds a lot less rough than usual. I think this may even be my favorite track off this album.
11. Ocean - They wrapped up the album with a standard Cold sounding song. A solid track but nothing too extraordinary, it's not exactly leaving us wanting more. If they had swapped this with "Tell Me Why" and ended with that, I think the band would have made a stronger statement.
Overall:
I was honestly surprised. I hoped for the best, but realistically expected something around two and a half stars, but when I really listened, Cold delivered to us the same high quality we had come to expect.
You won't find dark heavy tracks like "Just Got Wicked" (from 13 Ways To Bleed) but if you liked most of what they did on Year Of The Spider in the vein of "Cure My Tragedy", I think you'll be as impressed as I was. They have a new life and new direction, I can see Cold making many more great albums in years to come.
I met Scooter briefly once in 2003, it was an honor.
For more info visit: ColdOnline.com
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