Colosso - Obnoxious

By Justin C. I've been following Colosso from the beginning with Max Tomé's (mostly) one-man show on Abrasive Peace. That was a fantastic modern death metal album right out of the gate

By Justin C.


I've been following Colosso from the beginning with Max Tomé's (mostly) one-man show on Abrasive Peace. That was a fantastic modern death metal album right out of the gate, and I described it as "adventurous and complex," and release after release, the band has grown both in musicality and in number of members. With the band's second proper full-length, Obnoxious, they've added singer André Macedo. He makes a great fit, and he's got one of those great mid-range scream-growls I love to hear in death metal. But what about the rest of the package?

Like Colosso's previous albums, Obnoxious goes by fast. The album clocks in at 36 minutes for 9 songs, and you have to appreciate the band's dedication to keeping it tight. As with their earlier work, Colosso isn't satisfied to just chug-a-chug along, and to avoid that, they add extra texture with different guitar effects, contrasting riffs, and even some judiciously used synths. The variety they pack into the songs helps give them a more expansive feel than a quick glance at the clock might otherwise suggest.

Unfortunately, there is a "but" coming here. On Colosso's previous work, I praised the band's willingness to let their instrumental work shine through, especially since it was so damn good. Heck, Abrasive Peace was even offered as an instrumental-only download, and you don’t do that with music that’s dependent on a vocalist to hold a listener’s interest. However, I don't think Obnoxious would remain as compelling without Macedo's vocal work. Make no mistake--most of these tracks rip, particularly later album cuts (and my personal favorites) "To Purify" and "Sentience"--but I can't help but feel the band may have sacrificed some of what made their earlier work special for the sake of a more streamlined sound.

That said, I'd be willing to bet some listeners won't mind the shift at all. One person's instrumental, semi-proggy goodness is another person's boredom, so a slightly more straightforward approach could gain them a different or even larger audience. And of course, with new personnel just being added, this album may be just a stepping stone to the next stage of Colosso's growth. It's not bad by any means, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss some of the boundary pushing the band did on their previous work.

Colosso - Foregone Semblances

By Justin C. It hasn't been too long since Colosso released Thallium, which was a tasty mix of modern death metal both with and without vocals. True to form, their new 7", Forgone Semblances

By Justin C.


It hasn't been too long since Colosso released Thallium, which was a tasty mix of modern death metal both with and without vocals. True to form, their new 7", Forgone Semblances, has one track with vocals and one instrumental (although with a few "ahhh's" and "ohhh's" added in for texture).

These two tracks would be a great intro to anyone unfamiliar with the band. "Circles of Defeat" is full of chunky, rapid-fire riffs and deep, satisfying gutturals, which are sometimes backed with deep-in-the-mix cleans. The song fades out with spacey atmosphere, then charges directly into the instrumental "Four Edges of Deceit." It's chock full of riffs of every variety, galloping, stomping, ringing, and anything else you can hope for, and it's insanely catchy in a way that a lot of instrumental tracks fail to achieve.

My only complaint is that I want 12 tracks from this band, not two. But the band is describing this 7" as the end of an era, of sorts, and report they're already well into recording a new full length, so I'll just have to try to keep my whining in check and wait impatiently for more.

Colosso - Thallium

By Justin C. When we last checked in with Colosso, the band was essentially a one-man show, written and performed by Max Tomé with guest drumming from Dirk Verbeuren.

By Justin C.


When we last checked in with Colosso, the band was essentially a one-man show, written and performed by Max Tomé with guest drumming from Dirk Verbeuren. For their new EP, Thallium, the band has become a four piece. The basic style is the same--a brand of metal that floats somewhere between avant garde death metal and technical death metal--but the sound has broadened with the addition of new personnel, retaining its fierceness but taking on a more organic sound.

The first three songs--"Quadrangular," "Orthogonal Path," and "Prime"--act as a three-part instrumental introduction. At first, I was a little surprised that the EP was so front-loaded with instrumental tracks, but on the other hand, Tomé is happy enough to let the instrumental parts of his songs shine through--as a matter of fact, he offered the whole first album as an instrumental-only download.. The music holds up just fine on its own. Of the three instrumentals on this EP, "Prime" is a real standout. It's moody, dark, and melodic, with a great bass line winding its way through.

"Ecosystem" is the first track with vocals, and it starts off like a proper punch in the face. I used the term "stabbing" in my review of the first album to describe some of the riffing, and that still applies here--they dive up and down the fretboard violently when they're not out-and-out stomping. The final two tracks, "Into Infinity" and "Minus Infinity," provide an epic closing. "Into Infinity" is a quiet, building lead-in, with a steady pulse on top of a deep drone, which then explodes into full roar for "Minus Infinity." "Minus Infinity" could be the soundtrack to a space-themed horror movie, with blasts of fury for all of the interstellar battles and a chiming guitar line floating above it like a distress signal from a drifting, broken ship.

Thallium shows quite a bit of growth for such a new band, but the band has evolved while managing to keep the core of what made Abrasive Peace so enjoyable.

Colosso - Abrasive Peace

By Justin C. Colosso's first full-length, Abrasive Peace, floats somewhere on the spectrum between death metal and technical death metal. The songs are adventurous and complex, but they rely less on blazing speed and neck-wrenching shifts and more on the interweaving of different, contrasting layers.

By Justin C.


Colosso's first full-length, Abrasive Peace, floats somewhere on the spectrum between death metal and technical death metal. The songs are adventurous and complex, but they rely less on blazing speed and neck-wrenching shifts and more on the interweaving of different, contrasting layers. If you're worried that it won't be hard hitting enough, though, don't be concerned. Although the album was largely composed and recorded by one man, Max Tomé, he got a guest to handle the drums. And man, what a guest: Dirk Verbeuren (Soilwork, Scarve, many others). Needless to say, the percussion is insane in the best way possible.

The album is available as name-your-price, but a fun bonus for those who pay a non-zero amount is that you get a copy of the lyrics and the rhythm guitar tablatures. The various riffs in the tablature are named things like, "Thrash Riff," "Drone Riff," and "Epic Riff," and those names actually give you a good idea about what you'll hear. The guitars come in waves, both contrasting with and enhancing each other. After a brief bit of electronica, the opening track, "Anthems of Chaos," builds on an angular, stabbing riff that's soon joined by a soaring solo line. All of this is done over thundering drums that are equal amounts intricate, furious, and precise. "Pattern of Disconnection" has one of my favorite pairings, with fast churning riffs alternating with a sustained, drone-like line. Even more interesting are some of the lyrics that get paired with this musical maelstrom. Midway through "Pattern of Disconnection," the droning line helps punctuates the lyrics, "I walk along, walk alone / To find the essence of survival. / But in the end, what really matters / Is inner peace." "The Epiphany" ends with a short spoken-word piece that urges listeners to start creating and follow their passions because "life is short." I don't put a lot of stock in the actual lyrical content of a lot of metal--I'm sure I have songs on my iPod that are about dragons and hobbits--but I'm impressed with the fact that what could devolve into silly motivational platitudes are delivered in a way that isn't preachy or condescending. They come across as genuine, honest pieces of someone else's hopes and philosophies. Of course, it doesn't hurt that they're delivered in a low, back-of-the-throat death metal growl.

And those drums. Those crazy, virtuoso drums. There's a point midway through "Thou Shalt Not Be Benevolent" where Verbeuren does a rhythmic switch that I can't even follow, in spite of being a musician myself, but it's completely hypnotic. The fact that the drums are always well balanced with the other instruments is also a huge plus, since this kind of artillery can easily overwhelm the rest of the music.

Since Abrasive Peace came out, the group has grown to a full-fledged four piece, and they have a new EP called Thallium scheduled for an October 14 release. At the time of this writing, I've been able to listen to a bit of it, and from what I've heard so far, we'll be getting even more of what makes Abrasive Peace so enjoyable.