As two of the heaviest and most underground forms of music in Puerto Rico, hardcore punk and heavy metal have never reached any form of mainstream appeal in the island. However, this has never stopped artists from going out of their way to explore said sounds and express themselves in said genres. Among the many Boricua bands that have and still continue to experiment with hardcore punk and metal are Un Final Fatal, La Experiencia de Toñito Cabanilla$$$, Calamity, Dantesco and Cold Times. Recently, the last of the aforementioned released their first project in a while, Unfortunate Outcome, which serves as a perfect blend of these two marginalized sub-genres of rock n roll.
(cover for the album)
Bursting out of the gates with the track “Perpetual Conviction,” Cold Times prepare the listeners with what is about to come. The tune, like many others in the project, is a crossover thrash piece that serves as full display of power which will definitely have many listeners head banging and creating mosh pits, an energy which is followed up in the album’s self-titled song. However, with the third track in the project, the band shows a bit of their death metal and grindcore influences as they dabble into some of the instrumentation regularly found within these genres such as extremely fast-paced drumming and guitars while still maintaining their hardcore punk sound. Meanwhile, with “Malicious Intent,” the group goes back to their mix of thrash metal and hardcore metal, as presented in previous track. Nevertheless, the ensemble show musical diversity once again in their tune “Preludio Fatale,” which serves as a relaxing finisher to the project’s first half.
(cover the single that bears the same name as the album)
The second half of Unfortunate Outcome starts with “Idle Talk” and “Traitors Arise,” two crossover thrash songs that start off with slow-paced introductions until they gain the necessary momentum to create mosh pits. Afterwards, the band once again shows a bit of their death metal influences in the beginning of “Grip of Avarice,” which eventually delves into the band’s hardcore roots. Unfortunate Outcome eventually finishes with three more thrash metal/hardcore punk fusions in the form of “Sinner,” “Reborn” and “A Lasting Flame,” three tracks that continue to display the ensemble’s control over the genres as they show off their relentless adrenaline fueled power.
(picture of Cold Times)
Cold Times’ Unfortunate Outcome is a fantastic display of how to perfectly blend the sounds of hardcore punk and metal. While many elitists still deem these genres to be completely separate, this project serves as a great example of how well these sounds could get along. In addition, the album shows that these underground sub-genres of rock deserve a place in the Puerto Rican musical spectrum.