Review Summary: A shaky but ultimately strong solid point of gothic doom
Having spent the 2010s gradually evolving from deathrock to doom metal, the prospect behind Cold In Berlin’s first full-length in six years is certainly intriguing. As the similar titles would suggest, Wounds builds off the clashes between doom and post-punk previously seen on 2024’s The Body Is The Wound EP. The latter genre may contain the most core components with the songs driven by off-kilter beats, disorienting vocals, and synth touches, but it also comes with heavy layers of guitar fuzz and bass grime. A hypnotic aura plays into the blend quite nicely, drawing ready comparisons to groups like Messa, GGGOLDDD, and Chelsea Wolfe.
You can especially hear a sort of tug o’ war at play with the fluctuating moods on display. Tracks like the lead single “Hangman’s Daughter” really emphasize post-punk abstraction as the synths shape the atmosphere while the drums drive the rhythm, leaving the guitars and bass to fill out the space in between alongside the vocals’s Siouxsie-esque wails. “12 Crosses” follows it up with a heavier makeover as the distortion makes the crashing builds and escalating mantras even more ominous while “They Reign” and “The Stranger” start off more subdued with spacey synths and allow their heavy bursts to come in more incrementally.
But by the time we reach the back half of Wounds, the band’s doom flair seemingly takes over in earnest. “We Fall” adjusts to a plodding tempo with an especially dark riff and hard-hitting drums to match that gets accentuated by almost brassy synths on “The Body.” The closing “Wicked Wounds” stands out as the album’s most guitar-driven song, riding a crackly arpeggio and a weaving bass line; part of me wishes it had a more explosive finish but the vocals also help to carry the atmosphere.
Overall, Cold In Berlin hits a solid point of gothic doom with Wounds. It doesn’t feel too far removed from the group’s last couple albums that saw the full committal to the style blend, making it easy to wonder whether they’re settled here or could use it as a springboard for another trajectory. Wounds doesn’t quite hit the best of what this sort of doom has to offer, but it’s a grower that offers its own sort of promise.
