Coldbones soundtrack the life of a butterfly on epic debut album ‘Where It All Began’
Instrumental post-rock band Coldbones hail from the South East of England. Combining the lush soundscapes of shoegaze with the hard-hitting intensity of metal, these influences are evident in their debut album, ‘Where It All Began’. They take these diverse influences and create atmospheric soundscapes, making fro a unique refreshing take on post-rock, setting them apart from their contemporaries.
It is a concept about the life cycle of a butterfly. Each track represents the different stages of its journey. It’s an interesting idea for an album, but will it have enough to draw the listener in?
The album opens with swirling guitars on ‘Caspaces.’ These sounds make for a beautiful atmosphere, before melding into a concoction of crashing drums and catchy guitars, leading very nicely into the title track. The clean tone on the guitars transforms into a downtuned riff, with the lead and rhythm guitars syncing perfectly to create a massive wall of distorted noise. The drums are heavily drenched in reverb, fitting things nicely as the riff fades out into a gust of wind. This sets the tone perfectly for ‘New Heights’.
The wonderful thing about instrumental music is that it takes you on an epic journey where the listener can just focus and drift. This track demonstrates the band’s musical capabilities perfectly, with tribal drums and a simple Tool-influenced guitar riff. The stunning production maximizes these melodic riffs to their full potential, giving every instrument space to breathe. It’s catchy and optimistic as its title suggests, making for an uplifting listen.
The next track, ‘Lost’ could be about the caterpillars’ moment of confusion as it gets stuck in the cocoon. It incorporates a layer of guitars with what sounds like a flanger effect, representing this anxiety. It works very well because it’s dreamy and puts the listener into a haze. The crashing drums and clean melodic guitars create a juxtaposition that can’t be put into words. ‘Cycle’ could take influence from math-rock, the creative riffs building into an infectious track.
As the album goes on, it’s evident that the caterpillar is completing its metamorphosis into a butterfly. This is evident in the instrumentation, which feels bigger, preparing the listener for the build up. ‘Decay’ is the best track on the album because the drums increase the anticipation for the butterfly to emerge, followed by a crushing riff signaling its grand entrance. It captures the imagination, the breathtaking soundscapes working perfectly. The electric piano of ‘Moments’ is an unexpected curveball, demonstrating that the band incorporates a diverse range of influences into their music.
What’s great about the production is that each track fades into one another. This allows the album to be enjoyed as a full visionary experience, making for an enjoyable listen. The final track ‘To Whatever End’ is full of tempo changes. It combines a slow doom-influenced riff with two emotionally beautiful guitar lead parts, flowing into a fast paced rock banger.
On the whole, ‘Where it All Began’ is an album that contains some beautiful shoegaze-influenced textures with brutal yet melodic riffs. It is an album that describes the butterfly’s life cycle in accurate detail while also leaving the listener open to interpretation. It’s well worth checking out if you’re a fan of instrumental music, or rock music in general.
‘Where it All Began’ is released on 6th April via Crooked Noise Records.
Words by Ermis Madikopoulos