COLD
The Things We Can’t Stop
NAPALM
9/10
HARD ROCK THERAPY: A healthy mixture of Cold’s previous powerfully morose flavor, The Things We Can’t Stop kicks off on an eerie but hopeful note with “Shine,” an ode to those struggling with abuse and recovery. “I want to see you shine,” Scooter Ward croons with an audible and encouraging smile before shifting into the Cold we all grew up on with “Snowblind” and “The Devil We Know,” the latter employing religious undertones set against the backdrop of soaring guitars and the best vocals we’ve heard from Ward thus far.
Whereas some fans may feel the lack of darkness that we’ve all come to know from the Florida three piece leaves something to be desired, it becomes apparent from the get-go that Ward and company are in a better place. The listener is invited deeper into the singer’s personal life with the band’s cover of Snow Patrol’s “Run,” a fresh and haunting rendition powered by Ward’s evident and intense connection to the original track, stating recently, “‘Run’ is everything to me.” “Better Human” and “Without You” continue the mid tempo setting, drawing the listener into a lull of swaying musicality before the anthemic chorus of “Quiet Now” bellows.
If the record up until this point had been a therapy session, “Quiet Now” is open-heart surgery. Channeling contemporaries such as Aaron Lewis on “The One That Got Away” and “Systems Fail,” Cold has easily turned out their best record to date. The Things We Can’t Stop stands on its own two feet, apart from their early 2000s hits and 2011’s sleeper Superfiction. Cold is back in a big way and more importantly, they feel at peace. ~ Jameson Ketchum
