Koldborn "The Uncanny Valley" (Listenable)
By Taylor Green
Thursday. Mar 08, 2:20 PM
Perfect mixture of riffage and intensity.

Generally, I tend not too take bands that use “k”s instead of “c”s or “z”s instead of “s”s too seriously. Something about the cheese factor of these intentional typos still resonates in the post-Korn metal world. However, were I to follow that rule religiously, I'd be missing out on the behemoth that is Koldborn.

The Uncanny Valley opens as cliche as the band's name with an apocalyptic warning sampled from the indie hit film Donnie Darko. But after you're told that the world will end in 28 days, six hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds, you realize that's about 28 days, 6 hours and 42 minutes off as the band unleash blinding riffs and pulsating drum beats that drop faster than the A-Bomb on Hiroshima.

Too death to be thrash and too thrash to be death, Koldborn combine the perfect mixture of riffage and intensity that has been trademarked by genre monsters like Behemoth and Yyrkoon. Sadly, the variation between tracks isn't up to par. Regardless, this proves the perfect counterbalance to a band like This Ending, whose most recent album I griped about for its uninspired intensity. Here, Koldborn have inspiration straight from the ammo depot and plan to take everyone out with them. Riffs are relentless, and when mid-tempo breakdowns surface, the bass pulsates out the speaker like mortar fire. The perfect example is the mesmerizing opening to "A Destiny Predicted," a track that may have suited as a stronger opener than the already prolific "Lords of Stupidity."

Koldborn succeed where so many of their peers fail, taking the time to craft engaging and interesting song structure while maintaining the unrivaled force of the leaders of death metal, from Napalm Death to Cannibal Corpse.

The Uncanny Valley proves to be the epitome of don't judge a book by its cover. While the band name and its delightfully gimmicked spelling may be disengaging at first, this album wallops a punch that would knock the stereotype through the wall and break all its bones. Simply put, The Uncanny Valley is what metal is supposed to be.
www.koldborn.dk
www.listenable.net

Listen to a song from this album in our Radio section!

Taylor Green

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