EP REVIEW: Cold Will – Mugshot

Metalcore trio MUGSHOT take you on a whistle-stop tour of a number of serious topics with their new EP Cold Will. Opening up the hypothetical pit is lead single Life’s Debt; a super cool distorted drum beat introduces you to the song, making waves with the generally aggressive ambience. Pair this with some raspy unclean vocals and rolling riffs throughout and this angry track definitely has something going for it. Hardcore rhythms and bouncy breaks make for a stark contrast when some slow and drawn out sections increase the overall impact.

Cold Will follows suit with a clean riff to start things off, and even though it’s short, it has the desired effect. There’s some definite foot tappers on this release, maybe a stank face here and there depending on what you’re into. The band play around with a nice mix of tempos throughout, with some halftime sections which allow for a greater sense of depth overall, and this track in particular has a feature from Josh Maya of SKIN TICKET which is super cool as his vocals have a slightly higher register than those of MUGSHOT’s Ringo Waterman, which is a nice switch up.

Left In The Wake brings another fast-paced intro with what has now revealed itself as the typical MUGSHOT deep guitar tone. There is quite a consistent energy throughout the whole EP which is super fun, and will most likely result in an enthusiastic crowd when these tracks are played live. It wouldn’t be a metalcore song without a couple of breakdowns where the vocalist gives you an order, in this case it being simply “Go”.

Overall, Cold Will is hard hitting and fast-paced. It doesn’t give you much time to think and stuffs some heavy lyrics right in your face. Perhaps a slight variation in pace throughout the five tracks would have been nice to hear, but it’s still an enjoyable listen.

Rating: 7/10

Cold Will is set for release on November 3rd via Pure Noise Records.

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