Album Review: Coldbones – The Cataclysm

Possibly not on a mission to cheer everybody up, Kent trio Coldbones have crafted a concept album about irrevocable environmental collapse. Outlining two possible catastrophes, The Cataclysm initially devotes itself to rising sea levels, before changing tack to depict a charred, barren landscape.

Almost inevitably, the band’s chosen medium for these bulletins from the end times is instrumental post-rock, a sound frequently evocative of some seriously bleak shit going down. They’ve certainly mastered the genre’s crescendo-driven blend of moody fragility and expansive heaviness, while bringing in post-punk tension on Collapse and widescreen prog on The Burning Of The Earth.

Intentionally or not, tracks like Cleanse and Ruin suggest that a certain beauty could be found in the apocalypse, lending a surprisingly inviting nature to an album dedicated to forecasting Armageddon. Coldbones might not always sound as cataclysmic as their subject matter, but their skills with composition and atmosphere mean that’s not the end of the world.

Verdict: 3/5