Worship Metal Album Of The Week – Coldspell – A New World Arise

Sweden’s Coldspell specialise in melodic heavy metal and after releasing 3 albums of increasing quality since their formation in 2005, the time has come to make the world sit up and take heed; Coldspell are here to stay and they’re fuckin’ great at what they do!

Each track (and we mean each track, there’s simply not a duff moment in sight) packs a massive chorus, a vocal hook that immediately ingrains itself in your brain and an infinite number of classic, catchy riffs that recall the 80’s but never once sound dated and the epic title track  is just the start of a series of heckle-raising, fist-pumping, arena-friendly anthems of the highest order!

If you hadn’t already guessed, Coldspell couldn’t give a shit about testing the boundaries of extemity. Instead, they channel the chart bothering behemoths of metal’s heyday; accessible songs backed by meaty riffing. This is an album for those still in thrall to the huge anthems of the 1980’s and tracks such as “Get To The Top” (a fitting mantra about never giving up) and “It Hurts” are chock-full of crunchy riffs, insistent melodies and keyboard flourishes.

However, there are surprises in store as Coldspell are no one-trick pony.

“Love Me Like You Do” goes all southern rock on us, ushering in a little banjo intro and a southern vocal twang before the riffs bounce back in. It’s surprising but it works, another quality song amidst a sea of outstanding compositions. “Signs” is then the ballad you’re expecting (perhaps even dreading) but again, Coldspell’s quality shines through. Avoiding mawkish sentiment the song instead offers a mid-album break from the flurry of activity that preceded it.

This is where Coldspell excel. Whether they’re rocking out, shredding like madmen, hitting new levels of grandiose splendour or unleashing the kind of soaring melodic metal the likes of Hammerfall and Masterplan deliver so well, they rarely falter; hitting the mark each and every time.

“Call Of The Wild” , a canny choice for single release as it encompasses all that’s great about this band, stands out as the most impressive track on offer – and will be a live favourite for years to come – but the entire album is a consistently majestic affair.

When this sort of metal has been done to death it takes something a little bit special to maintain your attention. Fortunately, A New World Arise is that album and it also happens to be the finest collection of songs Coldspell have ever put their name to. We’d been chompin’ at the bit to hear A New World Arise in full and it did not disappoint!

A melodic heavy metal masterclass. 9/10