Sometimes an album’s artwork is just perfect. The art for ColdCell’s Age of Unreason is one such example. A man—his state of undress suggesting hermitude, a rejection of civilisation, or perhaps just haste—running across a landscape littered with skulls whose faces are frozen in grotesque masks, a burning sun dominating the scene, and everything save that rag drained of all colour. Escape, and freedom from modern society come instantly to mind; or perhaps it is our protagonist who is the barbarian—uncivilised, and literally stepping on others in pursuit of his own goal. Whichever interpretation one chooses, they fit equally well, as ColdCell “venture deeper into social abysses and explore the (un)reason of being.” It is not misanthropy, but a lament over humankind’s discordant, destructive ways, and apathy towards the suffering of others that characterises this album. And it pairs quite magnificently with ColdCell’s own brand of eerie black metal.
ColdCell don’t fix what isn’t broken, their black metal remains imbued with layers of drawling melancholic melodies that pleasingly blunt the serrated edge of harsh vocals and vitriolic tremolo. Having the drummer of Schammasch in their midst, it’s perhaps no coincidence that they have historically sounded a little like a less long-winded iteration of that band, while in terms of delivery coming close to Dymna Lotva. Make no mistake, however, they are a unique force all of their own. Misanthropic nihilism has always been the characteristic core of their music, and this comes through both in these undulating waves of sinister, desperate refrains, but equally through vocals that are not only barbed and bleeding with pathos, but also thoughtful and articulate. And ColdCell seem to be following their own conceptual and musical train of thought to its next logical step. Whereas prior album The Greater Evil felt like a cry of anguish and rage, Age of Unreason trades in something closer to apathy, dialling down on the humming atmospheres in exchange for a more balanced blend of ambient and progressive that trades some beauty for brute force, but keeps a strong emotional heart.
Because of this new approach, Age of Unreason strikes with a little more immediacy than its predecessor, whilst retaining a signature urgent atmosphere. The band have a knack for laying down drama in deceptively few strokes, keeping it at a constant state of urgency, without breaching the boundary of overwrought, and thus creating endless, shivery tension. Every track builds seamlessly, and there’s something undeniable about the endlessly circling, driving rhythm, the interplay between a dragging chord or a hanging note and the flutters of rollovers (“Left,” “Meaningless,” “Discord”), the muted flurry of riffs (“Hope and Failure”) and the pulse of ambience. Rushes of buzzing tremolo veiled in warm, electric smoke draw out the refrain into an adrenaline-fuelled charge (“Hope and Failure,” “Sink our Souls”), bridge the gap between a line-ending howl of a lyric (“Left,” “Discord”), or stalk upwards before exploding (“Meaningless”). Amplifying the pathos is the clearest vocal delivery of ColdCell’s career, making for some deliciously morbid moments (One thing in life is certain: that we are all going to die, eventually – “Hope and Failure” ), as well as pure thrilling ones where the album name (“Left” ) or song title (“Discord”) are belted out. All happening as percussion slips away; or a crawl turns to a stampede or the instrumentation erupts into a frenzy of panicked, fluttering black metal.
The record’s particular flavour of despondency emanates even through the very tone of the guitars, and the yearning key of minor themes that span each song, carrying a common thread. Just as in previous albums, this dour sentiment lends furious and atmospheric passages alike a solemnity, tinged with a discomfiting twist when a line slips into dissonance just for a moment (“Meaningless,” “Sink our Souls”). Despite this, Age of Unreason feels a little shallower, musically anyway than that which came before. It cleaves faster to the mind, but its wounds it leaves are less deep, certainly, at least, than The Greater Evil. While symptomatic of the record’s bleak concept, and coming with the benefit of more immediately striking compositions and stickier refrains, it feels, however slightly, like a kind of step down. This is no fault in production—the master is perfectly clear—but rather a case of the wails being less agonised, the climaxes less soul-rending, the songs reaching just a little less far.
Let not the above cloud your judgement; Age of Unreason is a very good record. In a world where black metal is so easily a regurgitation of a tired formula, or pleasant vibey-ness on the atmospheric end, ColdCell prove, again, that they stand out. Intriguing, compelling, and layered, it belongs in the upper echelons of modern extreme music, and deserves—and will easily get—many reslistens.
Rating: Very Good
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: AOP Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: July 26th, 2024
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