Houston-based nu-metal/alt-metal outfit ColdWards turns loose their brand-new single/music video, “My Skeletons,” via Wake Up! Music Rocks. 2022 will usher in Coldwards’ debut album, Bloodwork.
Explaining the song, ColdWards says, “‘My Skeletons’ is about dealing with the ghosts of your past, coming to terms that they’re a part of you, trailing over you like a dark cloud, and trying to cope and just make it or fake it to get through the day.”
Last year, ColdWards signed with Pepper Gomez’s label, Wake Up! Music Rocks. Talking about what the signing means to them, ColdWards told XS Noize, “Our goal was to be on a label that 100% believes in our music and our band. And Wake Up! Music Rocks is just that. We are completely honored to be a part of this amazing label!”
A family affair, ColdWards is comprised of Paul Crosby, the drummer of gold and platinum-certified, Grammy-nominated band Saliva; Zac Crosby, who handles vocals and all things electronic; Sean Crosby on vocals and guitar; and bass player Richie Hey.
With their muscular yet sophisticated sound, ColdWards’ music conjures up ghosts of Linkin Park, only a bit more ethereal and melodic. Tough and delicate at the same time, there’s a sonic gracefulness amidst the chunky, hefty guitars and Jovian drums.
“My Skeletons” opens on thickset guitars supported by Paul’s crunching drums. Then the harmonics shift, dropping to low, shimmering washes of coloration as Zac’s voice imbues the lyrics with caustic timbres as he confronts spectral memories.
“Hey, wait / I need my medicine / So, I can keep myself from jumping into the world with sober eyes / I wake up sorry for my friends / Cause I play a face of lies for them / And pretend I’m still alive.”
Ebbing and rising with beguiling resonance and energy, the tune rides rollercoaster tiers of emotion, ranging from reflective and haunting to looming and portentous.
The video delivers lingering, evocative visuals, inter-splicing images of the band playing their instruments with tangible markers of a dark past: acetate film, black and white photos, blood spatters, cobwebs, and x-rays.
“My Skeletons” suspends the crushing weight of heavy guitars, while simultaneously being both cutting edge and sophisticated.
