THESTARSAREDEADNOW

"TheStarsAreDeadNow" was originally a demo release by German atmospheric/post black metal act ColdWorld. The demo was initially released in January 2006 in a limited 50 Pro-CDRs version but was re-released (again limited to 50 copies) in March 2006 with two bonus tracks. "TheStarsAreDeadNow" was released as a vinyl EP in May 2008 limited to 287 copies (100 on white vinyl). It has since seen a couple of more reissues. ColdWorld is a one-man project and G.B. plays all instruments and sings on the EP.

The music on the EP is melancholic and atmospheric post black metal with some really majestic moments along the way. The vocals are harsh black metal rasps. The pace varies from blasting to more mid-tempo parts. With titles like "Hate", "Cancer", and "Suicide" it´s not hard to imagine the lyrical universe on "TheStarsAreDeadNow" and the music definitely follows suit. While the music is at times pretty harsh there´s a melancholic beauty in the tracks that makes the music stand out from other acts with a similar sound. G.B. is excellent at creating melancholy and an atmosphere of despair in his music.

"TheStarsAreDeadNow" is a very promising first release by ColdWorld and considering that this was originally a demo the sound quality (while being somewhat lo-fi) has turned out alright. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.