Cold in Berlin – The Body Is The Wound (EP)
Release Date: 19th January 2024
Label: New Heavy Sounds
Bandcamp
Genre: Doom, Gothic, Post Punk, Alternative, Stoner, Krautrock.
FFO: Black Moth, Black Moth Horsemen, Crytal Fairy, Ides of Gemini, Mansion, Vanishing Kids, Ex People.
Review By: Mark Waight
At this time of year, it is certainly Cold in Berlin but with the release of their brand-new EP, The Body is the Wound, that goosebump inducing, spine tingling chill factor is about to be spread to all those who dare listen. The music is as ice-cold as a harsh Nordic winter as it reaches deep inside your very being, forcing you to embark on a bleak and soul torturing journey. You will be taken to the very pits of humanity and despair before being brought back from the brink reinvigorated.
With their early roots in Post Punk/Death Rock, London based band Cold in Berlin now firmly have their feet in the Stoner, Doom, Gothic Metal camp. They will have wide appeal to anyone who likes to indulge in a bit of gloom in their lives (and let’s face it, who doesn’t)? Cold in Berlin have four full length albums to their name (Give me Walls from 2010, ….and Yet from 2012, The comfort of Loss and Dust from 2015 and Rituals of Surrender from 2019) along with several singles, but The body is the Wound is only the second EP of their career following on from The White Horse EP in 2011.
Cold in Berlin is Maya (vocals), Adam (Guitar), Lawrence Wakefield (bass) and Alex Howson (drums).
The pulsating intro to Dream One leads us into a deeply resonating riff laden tune that pulls you down like a pair of lead lined boots (black, of course). Maya’s haunting vocals make the very hairs on your arms stand up as you take the icy plunge to new and dark depths.
Spotlight slowly tears into the fabric of your mind in a song which for me brings echoes of Siouxsie and the Banshees to the fore. To induce memories of the original Gothic Mistress of the Dark is no mean feat, and Cold in Berlin do it superbly. What a song!!!!
Continuing in the same vein, When Did You See Her Last gradually picks up the pace and the emotion. This heavy on the bass, light on the hammer composition is an absolute dream to listen to, especially in the early hours with a pair of over the ear headphones on. The vocals and guitar fade in and out beautifully to fully complement each other on this fabulously outstanding song. Enjoy!!
Sadly, we reach the end of the road much too soon with Found Out. Maya’s vocals are just divine as you are pulled back from the edge with this retro inspired tune that incorporates a lovely keyboard backdrop to give it an authentic tinge. Love it!
I could honestly listen to Cold in Berlin for hours, so I’m reaching for the play button again, and I am pretty sure you will too. Cold in Berlin are indeed a class act, with all their experience and honed skills there for all to see in The Body Is The Wound.
What a superb way to kick off the year, 2024 already rocks. If I am ever unfortunate enough to be on a spacecraft being sucked into a black hole, then I would die a very happy man if I could listen to The body Is The Wound on my final journey into oblivion. There is just something about this genre that lifts my spirits and cleanses my mind, with Cold in Berlin being at the very pinnacle of all that is good.
Highly recommended!
(4.5 / 5)
