Cold Craving

Frantic, galloping, howling and skillfully discerning hardcore lies at the heart of Calgary five-piece Cold Craving.

The quintet has had just over a year to hone their sound, which is written primarily by vocalist and guitarist Ryan Kennedy (formerly of I Die Screaming), assisted by displaced Edmontonian bassist and keyboardist Rodney Ansell. The remainder of the band, including guitarists James MacKenzie and Will Bjorndahl and drummer Jayden Fraser, richen the abrasive soundscapes, resulting in music with sonic and conceptual similarities to cult icons Orchid, A Day in Black and White and Buried Inside.

“I was writing a book that was supposed to be a Kafka-esque exploration of how the human brain evolved and how social culture evolved,” says Kennedy, who masterminded the band’s debut full length Beacons, a nine-track three-part album, based on his botched novel. “That’s why it goes in three parts: the reptile brain, the mammal brain and the human brain. And I eventually realized, unless I took two years off to work on it, I would never be happy with it. So I just keep writing music for our band and thought I’d make that it.”

Such heady subject matter made for ferocious tunes that range stylistically across the board.

“The main philosophy of this crap was how to be iconoclastic in a community that doesn’t known iconoclasm,” explains Kennedy over a beer at Bottlescrew Bills, the band’s hangout. He decries hardcore’s tendency to become clique-oriented, preferring to blend elements in a reciprocal community that celebrates all forms of heavy music. “You can play music like this and have all the isolated elements of something like black metal, but on the other side, a lot of it is about supporting people who you do agree with and not just ignoring it and leaving it alone.

“That is pretty much the point of this entire record,” he finishes. “How to be an iconoclast without being in a clique.”

This individualistic attitude extends to how Kennedy approaches music. He co-owns Eschaton Industries with Jordan Lane (also formerly of I Die Screaming) who released Beacons, as well as the Saskatoon noise act Holzkopf and a grindcore split of his former band with Winnipeg act Putrescence. Kennedy also designed its simplistic yet sinister cover that depicts a forest at dusk. This close-to-the-chest business plan is simply an attempt to retain control and give fans value for their money. Therefore, they will release the record in three formats: a box set CD-R, on LP and on iTunes.

“We made a little three-song thing where we just hung out one night and recorded for a bunch of hours and Ryan chopped it up into some songs and made it into something that was actually usable,” explains Ansell, who is far quieter than his jovial counterpart.

“We have a hobby of circuit bending keyboards and making ambient music of it,” adds Kennedy.

The band’s goal is a simple one: “It is just a matter of playing something that is raw and thoughtful, with the intent of opening dialogue that is interpersonal.” Kennedy finishes, after being chided about his verbalization, “The non wordy version would be it is something for you to think about.”

For more information, check out www.myspace.com/coldcraving.
- Beatroute Magazine

"Beacons" is the debut full-length from Canada's Cold Craving (released by Eschaton Industries), and I have to say that its breadth of influences is pretty damn impressive. Never in a million years would I have expected to encounter a band that occasionally throws total black metal riffs into a combination of different little elements from emo/"screamo", angular indie rock, and droning "post-rock", but… Cold Craving does it. And effectively, too!? The vocals range from super polished singing to harsh screaming and a few approaches that fall somewhere between the two. The singing is so strong that it really suggests the type of band that would be all about huge choruses and catchy songwriting and stuff, but that's not really what this band is about at all, which creates an interesting contrast. Most of the songs top five or six minutes here, and the more memorable moments tend to result from combinations of the vocals with some of the more frantic riffing – which generally comes in well-focused, energetic bursts throughout the album. There's almost always some melody tucked away in there, though – be it through that ringing sense of post-hardcore dissonance that a lot of the chord phrasings and layers create, or more obvious treatments. But you'll also encounter pulsing throbs of distorted bass, quick fits of chunky rhythms/picking patterns, sparse electronic textures, acerbic guitar work with blasting percussion, and numerous other bits and pieces. As usual I'm starting to feel like there's no sense in trying to properly describe what's going on here, so check out the track below and judge for yourself…

Cold Craving "Cold"

This one's limited to a mere 250 copies (100 on green/white swirl, 150 on beige with gold haze), so vinyl fans should act fast, as I'd be shocked if this didn't sell out. For everyone else, it's also available on iTunes, so… you know what to do!

Purchase:

@ Eschaton Industries (LP)
@ iTunes (mp3)

- www.aversionline.com