Cold Sense of Suffering Review

Band	Drown in Solitude
Album	Cold Sense of Suffering
Type	Demo
Released	March 3, 2008
Length	33:53

Reviewer :  KaroshiMetal         Rating :  70 / 100

Mexico's very own Drown In Solitude is a nearly obscure entity with a certain reputation that has been jokingly classified by listeners as "Elephant Black Metal" for vocal reasons. But what this artist provides here is a measure of inhuman depressing aura that is greatly misunderstood, although it does have it's own share of personal issues that the artist very likely did not intend.

To start things off with this 5-track demo known as "Cold Sense of Suffering", we must take a deep look into the vocal range this artist is known for. As already mentioned, this artist has a reputation for creating a certain vocal range that apparently resembles a pack of elephants. But here's the thing in defense of Drown In Solitude: If a DSBM artist has the ability of creating such noise that is not human in nature, this means they are doing something right. One best way to defend his vocal range is by comparing him to other fellow DSBM artist Trist, as both Trist and Drown In Solitude share a strikingly similar vocal range that can especially be easily identified if a listener compares this guy to Trist's song "Poslední cesta". The vocals of Alexandre Ghashlord provide loud harsh cries that gives an image of the artist in actual agony. The entire structure of the vocals usually leave a slow gloomy effect while maintaining it's painful bellowing cries that greatly sounds like the artist may have either been self-harming or performing mysterious acts we most likely will never know. This is very much the style for the entire demo as there are no change in the vocal range. No hints of clean singing. No soft chanting. Just pure harsh bellowing cries that can actually be ear-piercing in some parts. So admittedly, this can be really tiresome for possible listeners. If Alexandre Ghashlord gave the cries a break by providing additional clean chants similar to other bands like Drowning The Light, perhaps there's a small chance this artist wouldn't be classified as "Elephant Black Metal" every so often.

Now with the vocals out of the way, it's time for the instrumentation work. While the production has a fair quality, the actual composition for the tracks give their own share of decent structures and formulas by DSBM standards. The demo begins with a dark ambient introduction supported by a heavy overdriven sound effect along with the use of keyboards that essentially provide the same slow minor notes for it's 2 minute & 30 seconds length. This opening track would have been good as it is, but it's also accompanied by the harsh vocals. Admittedly, the use of vocals for this track feels completely out of place considering it's a dark ambient track. As such, it most likely would have been better off as a completely instrumental track with the vocals staying out of the way in order to provide an atmosphere that prepares the listeners for the actual melancholic experience. As the demo truly begins with it's black metal part, we are immediately greeted by the guitar that provides a fast paced riff while the drum work maintains a steady paced tempo that is easily identified as programmed. There are a few good moment where the guitar changes it's scales and chords into a somewhat slower but unique pace, providing various melodies that keeps itself separated from the earlier riffs that almost make it an entirely different song while the drum work slows it's own tempo with it's use of double bass kicks, snare beats and cymbals. In fact, this is essentially the formula for the entire demo as it delivers either fast-paced performance which transitions into slower-paced performance or vice versa. Now of course the demo does give it's share use of the keyboard work as the artist brings the instrument back into the third track, performing melancholic harmonics alongside the slow-paced drum and raw distorted guitar works although the keyboard tends to take a break at times as the tempos of the guitar and drum increases again that lasts for a long while. Outside of the raw distorted guitar, programmed drumming and gentle keyboard usage, we are also given clean guitar plucking and strumming for the last two tracks that appear in the ending sections of these two separate tracks. By DSBM standards, the overall instrumentation work can be seen as decent enough for what they are, but they provide an atmosphere that can potentially place possible listeners in a state of abandonment and isolation.

"Cold Sense of Suffering" is a 2008 demo that is greatly misunderstood purely for the "elephant" vocals and seemingly simple instrumentation work. However, if one has experienced enough DSBM content that provides them with the very image of harsh sadness, they may possibly see this demo is something more than just a laughing stock. Even though this release may be very hard to listen to, it's certainly not for everyone as it paints a certain picture of howling despair.