Stephen
I can't help myself thinking, does every single person in Sweden really know how to play and make music, cause it seems every great record that came out in the last five years are coming from that land. After marking their career with the blistering debut, "Infinite Stargaze", Coldspell is ready to inflict a much more remarkable impact with "Out From The Cold". The weight of the music is heavier yet the sweet edge of melodic rock is still retained to pacify the casual fans. To summarize what will you find inside in one sentence, think of the classic style of Blue Murder and Whitesnake getting mixed up with Talisman and Europe.
In one single spin, three tracks that really outshine the rest are "Run For Your Life", reminiscent of the firey licks from Heaven's Edge debut, and the chorus is just brilliant; "Seven Wonders", a track lush of mind-boggling melodies and well-crafted chorus that will stuck your mind for days, maybe weeks; and "Time", a spectacular melodic metal, check out the heaven-sent arrangement and the blinding spell casted from Larsson's axe, this is their finest moment for sure.
Several other great tracks that have grown on me are "One In A Million", a song with thunderous riffs on a Dream Theater-ish rhythm platform, especially on the "Image and Words" era, and the soaring vocal of Swedentorp is a big highlight. "The King" is a power ballad that's reminiscent of early Savatage, pretty much enjoyable as well and "Heading For Tomorrow" is another huge groovy track with a strong heavy metal influence.
Coldspell did an amazing job here and thanks to the mastermind behind the songwriting vehicle, Michael Larsson, who also deserved a standing applause for his grandeur solos throughout the album. However, this is not an immediate album and required at least 3-4 spins to appreciate, but even though it’s surpassed by many great releases of 2011, it’s still a solid effort by the band, and hopefully they’ll come up with a better output in the future.