Coldwar - Pantheist

****
Coldwar come on leaps and bounds on second album!

I remember seeing an advert for Coldwar's full length album Christus Deathshead when it came out it seemed my thing I downloaded it from iTunes and yeah it scratched an itch,  a good solid Hardcore album that was pretty dark which I enjoyed but didn't really make that much of a lasting impression on me. When I got the press release for this album to review  was pleased to see the band still going and looked forward to hearing the new album.

It's got to be said Coldwar have arrived now! 'Pantheist' is a raw open wound of an album. It's a lot more of a Death Metal album this time around and there is a Black Metal vein running through it too. Like integrity or The Rotted there is a Hardcore flavor to what they do but a dark artiness aswell and they have that rare thing where they can share the stage with any act you care to mention in the extreme realm and they would not look out of place. Everything about them on this album just has the ante turned up. The riffs are heaver, the solo's more intricate, the atmospheric's darker and I think It's just really great. Vocalist Trevor Mclave sounds more evil! The main thing this album benefits from is the production.

I think Coldwar have always had the songs but they didn't quite come across with the urgency as they do here. 'Ghostdance' is a highlight which borderlines' Grindcore towards the end. 'The Falcon' hits the listener  with a mid paced groove Crowbar would be proud of. For dark extreme music from Doom to Black Metal to Hardcore it's all covered in this awesome bewildering album.

Review by Joe Denby

Check Out! a live performance of 'Cast into a lake of Fire' Below...