Out Cold - A Heated Display

As i promised, this is the new Out Cold album, released some months ago on a cd format and it's scheduled to be released on a lp in some months. I'm not going to start explain the importance of Out Cold, lyrically and musically, for the hardcore "scene" or how different they sound in this album, cause they don't. If you're interested you can read some previous reviews HERE. All tracks have been recorded somewhere in 2005 after "Goodbye cruel world" release except the vocals. The vocals recording done in 2012 from Kevin Mertens (band's first singer). Still i don't know if i can like the voice of Kevin Mertens who sings here, seems that Mark's voice is and always be tremendous and attacking and cannot be compared. Now, some tips about the album as John (drummer) write it down on Out Cold's page (the whole column can be found here):

"In 2005, shortly after the release of the "Goodbye Cruel World" album and the "Planned Accidents" EP, Mark & I went through an unprecedented writing spurt. Over the course of just a few months we had written the music for 28 songs, enough for two albums. In December of that year, the two of us went into the studio and laid down the guitar and drum tracks for all 28 songs in just two days. Wanting to achieve a higher level of production than on our previous releases, we went to the expense of bringing Daniel Rey up from New York for the weekend to supervise the sessions.

Even stranger, after these sessions had sat in limbo for some length of time, Mark put forth to me the notion of having Kevin Mertens, our first singer who left the group after the first album way back in 1994, do the vocals on them. The idea was so out of left field to me...I was incredulous. I told him that, while I had nothing against Kevin or his vocal style or anything like that, it was just too weird...and unecessary. Mark was our vocalist and had been for the last five albums and well over ten years. To bring Kevin back at this point was just beyond bizarre."

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OBLIVIONATION

Wake up this morning and a friend have sent me a mail. "Check this, it's John Evicci's new band". For those who don't know john Evicci is one of the founding members of Out Cold and the only member of the band with Mark Sheehan (rest in peace man) that were in Out Cold all the way, from the first day till the disbanding. Also, in Oblivionation plays John Kozik who has been a member of Out Cold from 1998 to 2001. So, what you have to except here. Raging, full of power and mind blowing hardcore fucking punk. I think words are useless, but this fucker gonna shake your head for good. Three tracks in six minutes. What else do you want?

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Out Cold - Lost Cause 7'' & split with No Side

I met borja a cold and rainy night in an ugly and dirty squat. Blitz were hitting the stereo with “Never Surrender” and I saw a guy with long sideburns and a Wretched tattoo and I told him : “Are you the friend of Roberto, from barcelona?” and he answered me “yes, but i'm from bilbao. You have to listen to the Mau Maus”. I never listened to Mau Maus but I really appreciate Borja and all his crazy talking about free sex and riots. This and the next post will bring you some unpleasant feelings. Borja created a great post about Out Cold and d-bill will continue on the Out Cold topic. The rips are taken without kindly permission from Fugitive equilibrium (the best blog in the whole world), I think marc will have no problem because he really loves Out Cold. Cheers on...

-Borja, the sweet candy-man:

First off all, once upon a time I met Mike. In Athens there are not so many anarchists who listen hardcore in such an obsessed way some of us do. Anyway it came out that both of us love Out Cold. Soo he told me to write something about them /cause he is bored writing all the time most of the things on his blog by himself. I still remember the first time I heard Out Cold. It was in a radio show of a friend of mine. Since then, a couple of years already, I've been looking for every single song of this band. I still find here an there sometimes records I never listen. For me this band is very special, because they played hardcore in a time where no one gave a fucking attention on it. Now hardcore (played in the way of the 80/s) is being played more and more, but sadly the singer of Out Cold is dead. Thank you Mark for this amazing emotions I get when I listen to this amazing band. But anyway, now I wanna write about two of their seven inches which are in my opinion fucking amazing. Ok, all their records are fucking brutal. No fucking way of ignoring this band. If you do it's because you fucking like shit like Ekkaia and your're EMO!!!

Lost Cause 7inch 1994

When a band starts a record with a song called Lost cause, then you know you're listening the right shit. Everything is perfect, the voice like always, hate pure, it's aggressive and I wanna kick the shit out of someone.  The fucking solos of the guitar, in almost every song, punk rock as it is. The drummer hits fast and slow, always beating, not playing. This record is sooo fucking brilliant that I really don't know what to say. You can't describe things like this. My brain is boiling, I wanna go now out of this flat and smash everything with my head. On the B-side Fantasy won't stand is the first song and it has a slow intro which let you predict nothing good for everyone. Fuckhead is a slower song but not different from every single other song. You wanna scream to everyones face this: FUCKHEAD!!! And finishing this masterpiece of hardcore. Like an animal… I definitely feel like an animal with this and specially after it…really listen to this, buy it, steal it from your best friends, download this whatever… If you don't like it you are a fucking idiot and i'll find you…

Split with No Side 7inch 1999

Starting with No Side from Japan, this band sounds the way Japanese hardcore is. No fucking solos, no fucking Burning Spirit. Like Gauze, but more dirty, more distorted but without becoming noisy. This band reminds me a lot to bands like NK6. It is direct, straight and tight. When you listen to this you hate your friends. Imagine what you'll do with cops and fascists afterwards… And now Out Cold, I have to say one thing first off all. All their songs are fucking brilliant. But the result is always different because of the recording. One of their best seven inches is Planned Accident, because the sound is incredible brutal. Out Cold never played very different but their sounds change on the records and make them be better or not. Here again, a bunch of crazy volunteers ready to jump in a black hole without thinking about the consequences. This sound is simple but great. The voice like always, but the rest of the components play a fucking brutal way of how you can play hardcore. Like a chainsaw. And if you interfere you'll lose your head and this is what you should want when you listen to Out Cold.

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Song of the week : Sick little game

Right now, I make decisions
I can't go through this again
Brains getting sicker, Brains getting sicker
You know I can't stop, so no...

I can't quit
My sick little game keeps you in line
You can't stay away
This sick little game one more time

Right then, with precision
Human beings get destroyed
Brains getting sicker, Brains getting sicker
I like the feeling of playing god, so no...

Death some times is so ugly cold

You know already my love for Out cold.
Mark sheehan, singer - and bassist for some time - in OUT COLD (one of the best hardcore bands ever), guitarist of GG Allin and guitarist of Bad Chopper, died in the age of 41.

It's so terrible to try to describe how much a person (or a voice) had fueled your anger through the years. Even if i don't know Mark i can say that i was shocked when i first read about his death. Words can't do any good, so i stop. Long Live Mark Sheehan, hope we'll meet someday in another place and drink a beer together, talk and have fun. You're missed man and thanx for the memories.

Out Cold - Goodbye cruel world

We are in 1989, in a small suburb of massachusetts (προφερεται Μασατσουτσετς), called Dracut. Four young kids start to play awful but straight from the heart hardcoreFUCKINGpunk. Two of them were also part of the infamous band Worse than Useless. They started play with some real menace. Especially in some fucked-up years. Metal was starting overthrowing the hardcore scene and to play some old-school Negative approach meets Poison idea punk was "out of trend". These kids not only played this genre but they did it for 20 years!

Καπου στο 2003 : οι Out Cold πατουν τα ιερα χωματα του Βιολογικου στη Θεσσαλονικη

Let's make a good fast-forward to the year 2004. Some of the original members have been out of the band while the first bassist of the band Mark Sheehan (formerly guitarist of GG Allin!) have already taken the vocal duties, behind drums we have also John Evicci while the guitar & bass goes to Deuce and Mikey Flynn (both from the great band called Last in Line). The band after a crazy tour in europe goes back to the studio to record "Goodbye cruel world". Fucking prophetic as it's the band's last full-lenght album.

"I can feel you burning on the inside"

But before we go to the core, i have to say that as i read their interviews in different zines i have to pay respect to one of the most honest and truelly great bands. And what a great spell of dedication when they say : "Unfortunately, most of the bands are broken-up now but that's the great things about records : They endure long after the people who made them". And fuck yeah, Out Cold are missed.

So, let's go the album. The first guitar riff is opening the gates of hell while the maniac drumming skills of mr.Evicci gives "take as needed for pain" the extra credit for what is really is, a track about drugs and for drugging speed freaks. While some of the album's tracks deals with misanthropy ("misanthrope"), isolation / solitude, human stupidity and back-stubber attitude ("i feel the death on the back of me"). Tracks like "Doomsday guy" could easily be someone's soundtrack of his life with all the desperation within the human society. Well, the "Hello disaster" goes to more mid-tempo parts (Θα 'θελες μεγαλε, εδω η φαση ειναι παρ'τα στα μουτρα) and i have to stop right here 'coz i can go on forever..

The rip is from my buddie Sergeant Batguano. Man you are great, thanx again. Everytime i hear their stuff i recall your phrase : "this one is my favorite album as long as I'm not playing one of their others". This one have been released from Kangarro records in europe so go and get it.

This post is dedicated to my good friend K. His greatness has been aknowledged by Out Cold themselves by saying : "We would like to extend a huge thanks to K., who set up all the shows here in Greece and did a really good job holding everything together despite some unexpected shit".

"Out Cold had become a pillar of consistency and it seemed like they would just always be around, recording amazing records and playing shows every once in a blue moon. However with twenty years under their belt, they managed to put almost every other hardcore band in history to shame."

Goodbye cruel world (we miss you, you human-haters)