Cold Night For Alligators

Ulterior Motives EP

Written by: AP on 04/12/2010 00:14:15

In Denmark, it seems that metalcore cannot be created at face value, with a traditional clean melodic chorus repeated between screamed, yelled or growled verses. No, the genre must be twisted into a darker, more technical variant, and the overwhelming majority of bands, the approach fails because ability and ambition do not converge. But occasionally, a band with the prowess and sense for what makes a good song, appears to rectify the inconsistency and make people go whoa. Cold Night For Alligators belong in this caste of youngsters and to prove it, they have released a new EP titled "Ulterior Motives".

Unlike some of their peers, who clutter their albums with pointless filler to compensate for a shortage of ideas, Cold Night For Alligators have opted for the three song approach, testing the terrain before unleashing the full extent of their songcraft. Listening to the trio, which comprises "Tempus Fugit", "Wonderland is in Your Body" and "Beware of the Horse", it is clear that Cold Night For Alligators suffer from no such deficit, packing into these songs more writing skill and phenomenal instrumentation than most of their domestic peers are able to achieve across a lifelong discography. Like "We Swim" by their countrymen Scarred By Beauty, "Ulterior Motives" glitters with soaring melodies and subtle infusions of electronica, which are arranged over a startlingly technical rhythm section and completed by brutally effective, growling. What separates Cold Night For Alligators from Scarred By Beauty despite the remarkable similarities, however, is that Cold Night For Alligators showcase a level of technical proficiency that belies their age and origin, drawing closer parallels, perhaps, to Born of Osiris, than any local outfit. It isn't difficult to deduce, then, that the four members of the band derive their inspirations from a wide spectrum of genres ranging from electronica and jazz to the futuristic progressive metal of The Faceless and Between the Buried and Me.

As such, what we have on our hands here might just be one of the most promising young metal acts to have emerged from Denmark, together with By the Patient, New Discolour and Scarred By Beauty; a brief glimpse into a soundscape formed from a concoction of talent, ambition and songwriting prowess. The only issue with "Ulterior Motives" is that once it clocks in at fifteen minutes, one feels that there is so much more to be had which the band has decided to hold back until the feedback for this preliminary sampler arrives. Here it is, now get to work. Until then, allow me to recite producer Christian Bonde's reaction upon listening to "Tempus Fugit" for the first time: damn, what a weird groove.

8

Download: Tempus Fugit, Wonderland is in Your Body, Beware of the Horse
For the fans of: Between The Buried And Me, Born Of Osiris, The Faceless, Scarred By Beauty
Listen: Myspace

Release date 11.09.2010
** Unsigned band **

Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.