On May 24th, Minneapolis’ explosive hard rock band Cold Kingdom released Into the Black Sky. It is the band’s first full-length album following the release of EPs The Moon and the Fool and a self-titled work. Due to the powerful female voice of Elissa Pearson, the band will remind some of Evanescence. That is the logical comparison, but listeners should also detect aspects of Breaking Benjamin and Halestorm in the band’s presentation as well. That being said, Into the Black Sky fully demonstrates Cold Kingdom’s power and creativity as they are beginning to become their own force on the music scene! The rest of the band is comprised of Evan Ogaard on guitar, Jason Michael on bass, Chris Morley on drums, and Collin Pearson on keyboards.
The debut single off the album is “A New Disaster” in which the video was released on April 29th. This is a powerful track to introduce the listener to the album. A lead in full of powerful drums and guitar riffs easily draws in any hard rock fan and then when the Pearson’s voice comes in full of sound and fury, the listener should be immediately mesmerized by what they are hearing! “A New Disaster” is beautifully written and details the struggle one may have when it comes to totally starting anew (“So bite this bullet and light up the sky, burn it all”) but not wasting the previous events of life (“Don’t let this go to waste/Create a new disaster”). Please check out the video to “A New Disaster” below. It truly is a very appropriate introduction for any listener not yet familiar with Cold Kingdom’s work!
The album starts with a hauntingly beautiful instrumental called “Under the Surface” and then explodes into “Desire.” This is a song about finding one’s independence and breaking free from whatever may be holding you down. Pearson implores the listener to “Rise above all expectations/And you should know we’re made of stone and we can face it.” This is a great song to listen to when you need a pick-me-up to take on the day!
“Left Me Haunted” demonstrates the versatility of the band. I hesitate to use the word ballad, but it is a lighter, slower song compared to the rest of the album…musically that is! In true Cold Kingdom form, the song lyrically is very deep and full of meaning. To some, it may sound like the classic breakup song; however, I appreciate how the lyrics acknowledge the fault of both members of the relationship. This is a very easy song for the listener to relate to and serves as a nice change-of-pace early in the album.
Overall, I give this album a very solid 8/10 rating. The songs are beautifully written both musically and lyrically and Pearson possesses one of the most powerful voices in the current hard rock scene regardless of sex. I am very intrigued to see what Cold Kingdom will offer us in the future!
Track Listing:
- Under the Surface
- Desire
- Devil in Me
- Left Me Haunted
- Ammunition
- After the Fall
- Volatile
- Invisible
- In Your Shadow
- A New Disaster
- Fear is Yet to Come
Lastly, please check out Cold Kingdom as they perform at the following venues on the following dates and stay up to date with the band via the listed socials!
Sat. June 15th at Route 20 in Sturtevant, WI (w/ Otherwise and Pop Evil)
Fri. June 21st at the Music Fights Back Festival in St. Prairie du Chien, WI
Sat. June 29 at Hijinx Bar in Fort Atkinson, WI (w/ The Zealots and Filthy Sweet)
Tue. July 2 at RocHaus in West Dundee, IL(w/ Royal Tusk and The Dose)
Thu. July 11 at The What’s Up Lounge in Mankato, Minnesota (w/KrashKarma and VIA)
Sat. July 13th at Every Buddy’s Bar & Grill in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin (w/KrashKarma and Filthy Sweet)
Thu. July 18 at Rock Fest in Cadott, WI
Tue. July 23 at Studio B at Skyway Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota (w/Light The Torch)
Fri. July 26 at Vaudeville Mews in Des Moines, Iowa (w/The Zealots and Sleep Signals)
Thu. August 8 at The Metro in Eau Claire, Wisconsin (w/Black Stone Cherry)
Sat. August 24 at Spicoli’s Grill in Waterloo, Iowa (w/The Zealots)
For tickets and further information on any of the gigs listed above, click here.
Social Networking:
https://www.facebook.com/ColdKingdomBand/
https://twitter.com/coldkingdomband
https://www.instagram.com/coldkingdomband/
