Blood Runs Cold

Blood Runs Cold are a four piece hard rock band formed in Mississauga Ontario in 2004. The musicians in the band bring elements of metal, blues and groove rock to form the aggressive sound of Blood runs cold. Members of the band all have very diverse musical influences as well as musical styles, which makes for a very interesting combination. “Detox” Dave Ljubanovich, the lead guitarist, has been playing the guitar for over six years. Drawing influences from such guitar greats as “Dimebag” Darrell Abbot and Edward Van Halen, Dave’s playing style has become very raw and blues oriented, with a sharp distorted sound. The bass player, Jason Martinko, has a bass style that is a combination of jazz and funk. His musical style can be attributed to the techniques of such bass players as “flea” from the Red-hot chili peppers, and the great classical and funk bassist, Victor Wooten. His influences from these Funk and jazz musicians have helped him to contribute to the diverse sound that is Blood runs cold. Kyle Kwecien produces the wall of sound with his drums. Heavily influenced by such hard rock bands as Pantera and Metallica, Kyle is the hard rhythmic backbone of Blood runs cold. His extensive double bass techniques, along with his loud and expressive drum rolls, have become the identifying sound of the band. Lastly, James Norris provides very raw and deep vocals to the band. His aggressive vocal style and tone give a voice to the music that is Blood Runs Cold.

Blood runs cold was founded in early 2003 when guitarist David Ljubanovich and drummer Kyle Kwecien crossed musical paths in a high school instrumental class. It was there that the two musicians decided to form a band. After entering a local talent show with only guitar and drums, the two decided that they needed a full musical lineup to complete their sound. They recruited James Norris, a fellow class musician, to play bass. Now, with a full lineup of guitar, bass and drums, they began playing as a cover band at local bars and clubs in the Mississauga area. It wasn’t soon after that the band had begun writing original material and playing showcases. A decision was made in early 2004 to have James Norris as the bands new vocalist and recruit a new bass player. The band had decided on Jason Martinko, a friend of Dave’s, who was an experienced bass player looking for a band to join up with. The band was now complete and ready to rock. The band now needed a name. Several ideas were brought to the table but none of them stuck. Kyle pitched the idea of naming the band “ blood runs cold”, which was a lyric from a song by the band Opeth. From there the band would be known as Blood Runs Cold.

Recently, Blood runs cold entered a Battle of the Bands competition and won first prize in two of the three shows. The prizes included thirty-two free hours of recording time at Machine head Studios in Toronto, as well as headlining shows at Toronto venues such as the Reverb and the Opera house. With the free recording time, Blood runs cold went into the studio in early October to record their six-song EP. With the release of the demo, the band continued to play shows across Ontario, playing at venues in Niagara Falls and Hamilton.

Now, opening up for such Canadian bands as Social Code, the Endorphins and Betrayer, Blood runs cold are heading in the right directions and going strong. Blood Runs Cold are now striving towards getting signed to a independent or major label. The band is currently touring across Ontario and Quebec in support of their demo, with high hopes of meeting their goals. As a band, blood runs cold is bursting with energy and ambition toward furthering their music into a successful career, with aspirations of making a name for themselves and for their band, Blood Runs Cold.