Coldspell is an all Swede band and "Infinite Stargaze" is their grand debut. The main attractions here are the vocals and the musical style itself. Niclas Swedentorp is the man behind the microphone and he shares an uncanny vocal resemblance to Robert Mason (ex-Lynch Mob, Silent Witness, currently Warrant). He has this bluesy sound, and twists his vocal phrasings in the identical manner of Mason.
 
The music is a strangely interesting mixture, a blues based core (Badlands, Whitesnake, more Lynch Mob) and a crystal encasing from sharp progressive, such as mid 90s Stratovarius (think along the lines of "When Night Meets the Day").
The wintry Strato-inspiration can be heard on such clear, cold diamonds as "Night Falls" and "Fade Away", two similar sounding twin sister songs that dance to the tune of moody smoothness. "Straight Things Out" is full of fired up riffs and "Eye of the Storm" finds itself wrapped in an abundance of great melodic moments set against Whitesnake blueprints. The title track is a slick, proggy flirtatious epic that has twists and turns that seem elaborate along its musical labyrinth.

Curiously enough, "Infinite Stargaze" hits outside its 70s prog groove box occasionally to deliver a straight up blues track that's off the beaten path. Everything else is fairly similiar and the songs run together after awhile, employing similar song structures and melodies.
Strong choruses start to fizzle after mind numbing repetition drags them into the ground. Band leader Michael Larsson's guitars sometimes pull the songs out of the doldrums, and othertimes his too-heavy axework seems out of place amongst the galactic AOR-ish ride. Coldspell's debut is an album that has a definite sense of self.
 
The band may draw from many inspirations but the chilly cold season bluesy-prog outcome is a design that is all their own. The Robert Mason vocal connection is not a bad one to indulge in either. Coldspell is a new band that has alot going for it, and undeniably, "Infinite Stargaze" is a very solid album that will gain them lots of fans for those seeking melodic rock that's a bit unique, but doesn't step on too many toes in its quest to fulfil that goal.

Written by Alanna
Monday, June 22, 2009
Show all reviews by Alanna

Ratings

Alanna: 7/10

Members: 8.75/10 - Average of 2 ratings.



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bmoreoriolesfan Rating: 10/10 I can only think of 2 albums that I listen to constantly that have come out recently. Roa... · Read more ·

ProfessorShred Rating: 7.5/10 No review was posted

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Comment by ProfessorShred (Member) - Tuesday, June 23, 2009

View Profile Comments: 16 Ratings: 45 Alanna, Nice to see you gave the disc a spin. I have to say that especially for a debut, is damn good. Looking forward to another album for sure. Rating: 7.5/10 Posted by ProfessorShred Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Comment by Alanna (Staff) - Wednesday, June 24, 2009

View Profile Comments: 245 They certainly have plenty of interesting inspirations to draw from. I love the fact that their vocalist sounds like a Robert Mason clone,but would like to hear more done with that voice too. He seems to hold back a bit I think. A very good album, especially for a debut as you said! Posted by Alanna (Staff) Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Review by bmoreoriolesfan (Member) - Sunday, August 30, 2009

View Profile Comments: Ratings: 1 I can only think of 2 albums that I listen to constantly that have come out recently. Road to Ruin is one of them, and this is the other one. Every song on this album is so good. I don't know how they manage to combine blues, melodic rock, hard rock, etc. but they do. The lyrics are awesome, the guitars, the vocals... I could just go on and on. I am waiting for the next release. Rating: 10/10 Posted by bmoreoriolesfan Sunday, August 30, 2009