CD Review: Cold Steel - Cold Steel

Cold Steel – Cold Steel
2008, Cold Steel

Cold Steel comes barreling out of Carson, IA like a freight train out of control. This foursome from the Midwest has its eyes on you, and it’s either move out of the way or get swept along. On their self-titled debut, Cold Steel draw on metal and glam rock elements to create a trip back to the best days of 1980’s hair metal.

Led by brothers Alex (Guitar, lead vocals, profanity) and Matt DiBaise (Lead guitar, vocals, shenanigans) Cold Steel lays down a sound reminiscent of the days of Motley Crue, Ratt, and Twisted Sister. The sound is bit more modern, but the general mood and attitude reflects that of 1980’s MTV metal. Highlights include Everyday’s The Same, Something Wicked and Your Disease. The Motley Crue cover (Looks That Kill) is also definitely worth the price of admission.

All in all, this is a very successful debut CD. It establishes the Cold Steel sound and is a more than sufficient starting place for a band looking to make a career of their talent and ambitions. The sound is a bit dated, from one perspective, yet it’s a sound that seems to be coming back into vogue some. The only real constructive criticism is that the music on the CD comes off a little bit flat at times, compared to what I am certain is a very dynamic live sound. I’m not sure if this is just a limitation of the CD format or if it was a production choice. It detracts a little bit from the disc, but not enough to keep it from being recommended.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Cold Steel at www.myspace.com/coldsteelband. You can purchase a copy of Cold Steel’s self-titled debut through their website.