A Thousand Shades of Cold

A Thousand Shades Of Cold - A Thousand Shades Of Cold (Amherst Records)
By: Justin Donnelly


For a label that specializes in swing, big band, jazz and pop, it’s strange to see Amherst Records venture into heavy rock, but that’s what it has jumped into with the signing of Rochester, N.Y.'s A Thousand Shades Of Cold.

Founded in October 2004, the young outfit weathered several lineup changes and even a split in the year leading up to recording a four-track demo, but its determination won out when it signed to Amherst in early 2006. After yet another lineup shift just prior to hitting the studio, A Thousand Shades Of Cold finally completed its debut album.

After the rather pointless "Intro" of sound effects layered atop some indecipherable whispering, the band kicks off first track "For The Seraph." The combination of melodic hard rock with traces of metal—the odd scream is heard toward the end, and the guitars certainly have some bite—makes A Thousand Shades Of Cold easily comparable to Cold, Sevendust and Breaking Benjamin, but it doesn't plagiarize those acts.

The acoustic "Strings Of Life" gently drifts by without detracting from the album's hard launch, then it’s back to business with the thick "Sacrament Of The Sick," the driving "Miasmic Suffering" (featuring Stemm guitarist Joe Cafarella on vocals), "Something More" and "Black Myriad."

Experimentation with piano, electronic percussion and vocal effects greatly enhance stand-out cut "Euphoric Affliction," and "Undisputed" is an obvious favorite thanks to its heavy groove and catchy chorus that owes itself to Sevendust. "My Dying Dream" is a bit weak, but the album offers a potential second single in "A Glimpse Of Virtue" before reaching the moody, stunning finale that is "Hollow Morality."

Although "A Thousand Shades Of Cold" predominantly features strong melodies, there’s plenty of solid songs and muscle from the guitarists to make it stand out from most hard rock acts. On the strength of this first effort, we can guarantee this band is going places.

- Blistering.com Review

A Thousand Shades of Cold
Self Titled
www.myspace.com/athousanshadesofcold

By: Brian Campbell


A Thousand Shades of Cold’s latest Self Titled release. I have to admit, for the longest time I really found myself putting off reviewing this record because I didn’t think I could think of enough good things to say about it. Well, I can honestly say that this record is one of, if not the, best records I have heard yet from an unsigned band. I’m not sure that since I started doing writing about local music I have come across a record better than this one.

First off, their production team is top notch for a band with ATSOC’s sound. They made the smart choice and enlisted the help of Mike Hatalak of It Dies Today and Rich Spalla from Stemm. Not to mention they recorded the record at It’ll Do Studios.

These guys utilize a very strong form of metal infused hard rock, much akin to something of a Godsmack, Breaking Benjamin, Ill Nino, Unloco and so on and so forth. They are easily the premier hard rock group around these parts to say the least, due to a strong work ethic and oh yeah, being really good at playing music. That helps too. With vocalist Jake Gissin, ATSOC have someone they can depend on to change the course of a song and someone who can handle a wide arrange of vocal duties. He can go from screams to a subtle hush, to clear singing and gritty yells as well. Now, the fact that I am talking about the vocals so much does not take anything away from the rest of the band at all. Like I said a little earlier, these guys are all adept at what they do, whether it be the drums or the guitars.

I would be lying to you if I told you I had a favorite song on this record, because there are so many good ones. OK, I was lying because my favorite song is easily (and most clichéd), the acoustic ballad Strings of Life. I’m not sure why these types of songs get me all the time but they always seem to. This is where Gissin is at his strongest, through soft, spacious vocals and fresh, but engaging melodies. This too is where his songwriting is at its most obviously personal point.

No matter where you look on this album, there is a good song. For the Seraph kicks off the ensuing heavy, and is followed in suit by Miasmic Suffering (featuring Joe from Stemm on vocals), Something More and their single, Undisputed. Each song is captivating, whether it is one of the heavier tracks, or one of the quieter. One thing I really like about this record is that they finish amply down the stretch. My Dying Dream has one of the better crafted metal hooks and choruses on this record, and the record is closed soundly by the tremendous track Hollow Mortality. The albums closer has the best chorus on the record, and it’s nice to see a closing track that keeps my attention and makes me sing along (like right now, as I am listening to the track, I’m singing the chorus).

Honestly though, if I just saw A Thousand Shades of Cold live, I would buy their record after their set. I don’t say it often, but I would buy this record. And you should too. It’s one thing to sit here and read this, but listening to this record is something completely different. I recommend the latter. - http://www.rochesterathome.com

By playing some of the best rock/metal blends I have heard in some time, Rochester's A Thousand Shades of Cold are signed to Amherst Records and have a solid self-titled release out now. I had a couple minutes with the band and here is what they had to say.

Written by: Brian Campbell



Ten Questions: A Conversaton with A Thousand Shades of Cold By: Brian Campbell

Throughout my travels, I have come to find out that Rochester is full of some talented bands. I have also been lucky enough to find a few that I truly enjoy listening to, one of those being A Thousand Shades of Cold. These guys are in the top three best bands in Western New York in my book, and are really one of my top ten unsigned bands in the country. They have a tried and true outlook on music and what they wish to accomplish, and go about it by playing some of the best rock/metal blends I have heard in some time. They are signed to Amherst Records and have a solid self-titled release out now. I had a couple minutes with the band and here is what they had to say:

Rochesterathome.com: Tell me about a Thousand Shades of Cold live show.
A Thousand Shades of Cold: We strive to just have a good time up there, that’s our number one goal. Besides that, we practice rigorously to be on point with our playing, so we can have fun. I think the most prominent aspect of our live show is the energy we produce on stage; everyone compliments us on how energetic we are.

RAH: How did you shape your sound musically? What is factored into the final product?
ATSOC: For our debut album, we combined rock and metal in a melodic package, hoping our listeners would gain a unique feeling from that. For the final product, we had the help of Rich Spalla (Stemm) and Mike Hatalak (It Dies Today) for producing our album at It'll Do Studio. They helped us pull out the sound we were looking for and get it down to disc. They were great to work with.

RAH: What music are you currently listening to in your downtime?
ATSOC: Each of us listens to different bands so it's too hard to list everything we are listening to right now. We all just love music and in the end we collectively like all the bands we all listen to. Can't get much vaguer than that. Although, Incubus, Glassjaw and Papa Roach (their new album rocks) are probably my most listened to bands right now.

RAH: Is there an overall message,(or at least one) that you would want to convey through your music?
ATSOC: We don't have a general message that is stated in our music, but if we were to get one thing across to the listeners, it would be to stand on your own. It takes a lot of guts to be your own person, so don't be afraid of who you are. Be independent, be strong and don't stop trying.

RAH: What is the best show you have ever played? Worst show, and why?
ATSOC: The best show was definitely back in 06 in Washington, DC at a place called The Mansion on O St. The place was like a giant maze full of tons of random things (too much to explain, look it up on the internet). It was amazing to see and play at. The worst show was probably at Palmeri's in Niagara Falls, NY. The show was great, the crowd was great, everything was fine but we were in the midst of trying new things on stage. Word of advice to all front men, don't yell at the crowd, they DON'T like it. I've since learned my lesson.

RAH: If you could play with any band or musician dead or alive, who would it be, and why?
ATSOC: I think we could all agree, we would love to play with any and all musicians, but it would probably be awesome to play with The Beatles or Michael Jackson (younger, non-crazy Michael Jackson). That would just be awesome.

RAH: Who are some of your influences musically, and how did they help you to write the music you do?
ATSOC: Some of our biggest influences come from 90's. We all grew up with grunge rock, and alternative bands in the lime light. I would say we pull some influence from bands like Alice in Chains, Sound Garden, Tool and Korn.

RAH: What can we expect musically from A Thousand Shades of Cold in the near future? What things do you have coming up?
ATSOC: We are definitely finding ourselves heading more to the rock and alternative side of things. We have one new song out since our album came out. It's called Running Dry, more of an upbeat rock song, you can listen to it on our MySpace page. We are currently in the works to hit the road late this summer. If all goes well, our first tour will kick off in July.

RAH: Tell me about your relationship with your record label, Amherst Records. How did you go about signing with them and how has the overall experience been for you?
ATSOC: Well we basically just got the president and owner of Amherst Records (Lenny Silver) to hear the four song demo we released in January of 2006. He loved it and that was it. We signed with Amherst in hopes that they could help move us to the next level. This has been a huge learning experience for us since then. We never realized how much work needs to go into a band to just keep above water. So this has given us a drive and determination to push ourselves forward, no matter what. Things are going very well with the label, and we couldn't ask for more. They are there for us and are supporting us every step of the way. The rest is in our hands.

RAH: In a music world that gets so caught up in labeling and genre classification, do you get tired of hearing your music labeled as different things? What would you label your music as?
ATSOC: No, not really. We are just trying to do something we enjoy and we hope others enjoy it as well. It makes no difference to us what we are classified as, just as long as people enjoy it. We definitely feel we are a rock band, just with a metal edge.

It would be wise of you to catch these guys while they are still a local band here in Western New York. And to do that, visit www.myspace.com/athousanshadesofcold.


- Rochesterathome.com

Fans, Friends & Supporters of A THOUSAND SHADES OF COLD
from the Buffalo, Buffalo Suburbs & Niagara Falls Area

Come join us on Thursday July 19, 2007 (around dinner hour, time will be announced)

We need to fill 3 school buses: DESTINATION: The Montage Music Hall in Rochester, NY

A THOUSAND SHADES OF COLD has made it to the finals of the UGLY IDOL CONTEST. With your support and presence at the show we can help them win their placement at the 18th ANNUAL TEN UGLY MEN FESTIVAL .

TRANSPORTATION, COVER CHARGE, FOOD & BEVERAGES WILL ALL BE PROVIDED. YOU NEED ONLY BRING YOURSELF, YOUR FRIENDS, AND THE MINDSET TO HAVE A GREAT TIME!

PLEASE RSVP SOON! GET A GROUP OF YOUR FRIENDS TO COMMIT TO THE EVENING.

PLEASE CONTACT: ROSE RUPERT (AMHERST RECORDS) TO GET ON THE LIST

716-883-2555
716-432-3349
roserupert@yahoo.com



PS A Thousand Shades of Cold will be rocking downtown Rochester on June 29th at
The Taste of Rochester 4 pm
- Rose Rupert

A must-see live band!...Heavy rock fits the bill at Montage Music Hall for their Halloween Bash on Saturday, October 27th, where the haunting sounds of A Thousand Shades of Cold (A.T.S.O.C.), Shelflyfe, Cry To the Blind and Room 30 take center stage. As A.T.S.O.C. continue to support their excellent self-titled debut for

A Thousand Shades of Cold

Amherst Records, we continue to be impressed by their metal-edged and melodic style of play. The band has been getting a great response at www.garageband.com, especially for the track "Undisputed," and we were lucky to catch the new video of said song. Directed by Armand John Petri (best known for producing recordings for the Goo Goo Dolls and 10,000 Maniacs), the video is a professional and polished taping of a fiery live performance by A.T.S.O.C., and illustrates why this band is destined for even greater success! - Michelle Picardo