Coldrain - The Side Effects (2019)^{Release ID: 23291}

Coldrain have travelled far out of their homeland of Japan to pick up more alt-metalcore influences for their initial post-hardcore sound. Masato and Y.K.C. are the two key members of the band, doing all the songwriting and performing the best vocals and lead guitar respectively, though rhythm guitarist Sugi, bassist RxYxO, and drummer Katsuma are great as well. I don't know how Michael Baskette, the producer of Slash, Alter Bridge, and Trivium made this album lightyears better than his previous produced album Fateless, but it's a blessing after a curse!

If there's any fan who had the same opinion as I had about Fateless when they had to wait for the next album, whether or not they've been patient, a great reward has been earned. The Side Effects the perfect post-hardcore/alt-metalcore addition to the band's discography. Coldrain sure know how to spice up the pop hype when adding pop elements to their sound. And with 4 awesome singles released in advance, they show what a sight and listening the album is to behold...

The song "Mayday" kickstarts the album in a bang and includes killer vocals from Ryo Kinoshita of Crystal Lake. Apparently, Masato also guest starred in Crystal Lake's single which makes me curious about listening to that song. "Mayday" didn't become a single until later when it became the title song for the anime Fire Force. The song begins with radio samples and an intro solo before the two vocalists harmonize each other in the verses before a crescendo through the chorus and climax. The speed is kicked up high with one of the in-advance singles "Coexist", a futuristic-sounding reflection of the band's roots. Following this is "See You", a simple yet catchy tune worth listening to more than once. You can enjoy singing along to this in an evening drive much more than synthwave, though not a lot of depth here. That's a nice song to get used to before getting more of the loud heaviness. The heavier song "Speak" has screams to pick you up and slam you back down. Those screams are done very well, and that's why Masato deserves his title as the greatest metal screamer in Japan.

The title track, released as a single one day before the album, is a brilliant highlight, having a more metalized Set It Off vibe. Alternating between slow verses and the faster chorus proves to be a successful move for both the vocals and the instrumentation. It is a different side of Coldrain, but you'll definitely wanna sing along. Another single is my second favorite of the album, "January 1st". This is much better than "Whole" from Vena when it comes to proving how good the slower emotional songs can be, and that is how that category should be. Masato sings harmoniously over the instruments to make that song so good, more or less. "Insomnia" is a hard loud buildup of mood. The hardcore-sounding "Answer/Sickness" is the perfect definition of Coldrain. Screams, cleans, guitar solos, pounding drums, breakdowns, time changes, you name it! That one should've ended the album as a perfect sign-off, or maybe be an encore song in concerts. "Breathe" marks a return to Earth for a nice warmup.

"Stay the Course" is entirely cleanly-sung, but the typical instrumentation makes up for that. I like that soloing bridge. What follows is the best standout of the album, "Revolution"! This sneak peek single is beyond d*mn right good, and what got me interested in the band when a friend from the outside world showed me that song and mentioned that it was used as the theme song for Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs 2. What an anthem! As always, there are strong screams and clean vocals that marks Coldrain's signature vocal department from Masato. There's even a short rapping verse that works better than even Linkin Park. Then the album ends with "Li(e)fe", which isn't the best song to close an album but I digress. The perfection stays intact!

This is Coldrain's true style, spiced up with a few experiments that work well and are cleverly done. Sure they are a couple songs to struggle with, but you'll get used to them after a bit of warming up. And I'm glad that the band manage to tour for this album before the virus came half a year later. You've done well, Coldrain!

Favorites: "Mayday", "Coexist", "The Side Effects", "January 1st", "Answer/Sickness", "Revolution"