It’s kinda cool to watch a band grow. Back in 2017 I reviewed the debut EP from a new band called Colt 48.
Adam Jerome and Matt Savini have been making music in various bands for ages, but this was the first time it was just the two of them.
Calling the first one: “solid gold rock music”, they then released another just about this time last year which I said: “might just give them their well-deserved breakthrough.”
What you have here in 2019 is a more fully-fledged version of the band. “Negatives” is not just longer (five tracks as opposed to three on the previous efforts) it also sees them add some more light and shade to proceedings.
Not, however, at the expense of the sound.
When you review albums and EP’s the people that send them to you often give a clue as to what it sounds like before you listen, by saying it is For Fans Of….and then adding some suggestions.
“Negatives” says “FFO Shinedown, Mudvayne and Sevendust” – now let’s ignore the fact I usually avoid Shinedown at all costs, and focus instead on the overriding point here: namely that although Colt 48 are a UK band, their sound belongs over the Atlantic somewhere.
However, I am duty bound to say here that if this was a US band, then they might have had a lot more coverage over here. Because right from the kick off of “Disconnected” everything sounds like its ready for arenas.
The riffs are huge, the choruses bigger still and the whole thing is wrapped up with such quality that surely it can’t be ignored?
“Scapegoat” could summon up a moshpit if it chose to, and there is a lot of anger here too. “Out Of Habit” is sort of like a ballad, but in truth is just a slowed down version of what they do anyway and if all my other reviews of this band have namechecked Zico Chain and Seether, then to be fair, this one is going to as well.
Working with Chris Clancy (Mutiny Within) again has helped because there is an evident pattern here, while Colin Richardson (Machine Head) ensures the five tracks sound like a million dollars, and the best thing here “The Fire” is full of crunch, melody and skill.
The whole thing is done in 16 minutes, as if working to the maxim of “don’t bore us get to the chorus” but “Lost” finishes off a bit like a heavier version of Feeder in their “Polythene” era.
Colt 48 are, in many respects, going against the modern trend for looking back to the classic sounds. Proudly independent, that shines through on “Negatives” and actually, there is absolutely nothing to be negative about here. Still a band to watch.
Rating 8.5/10
