Coliseum - No Salvation
If Fugazi were on Deathwish Inc., they might be Coliseum. Thus, abstract yet hard-hitting politics meet dirty tones, Motörhead worship, unison bends, and a general hardcore ethic. Ryan Patterson’s howl even suggests Guy Picciotto with more testosterone (“defeater” sounds like “repeater”). Kurt Ballou’s behind the boards on No Salvation (Relapse, 2007), so it pulses with thick, analog electricity. This record – vocals, lyrics, guitars, bass – roars.
Its strength is diversity. So many bands have similar influences, but the result is usually generic death ‘n’ roll. These songs vary widely in speed, with melodic touches and odd angles throughout. 13 tracks fly by in 31 minutes – a brief but nasty beating. Patterson, who works at Auxiliary Design, turns in a beautiful black, silver, and white layout. The liner notes are legible, and they have plenty to say. “Seven Cities” is about the “Seven Sisters” of oil – the image of “highways built on blood” has never been more apt. Any band that takes on Big Pharma (“Health as business preys on our need / While the poor die in the fucking street”) deserves support.
No Salvation is available from Reflections (Europe) and Relapse (US).
