Cold War Relic

From an endless sea of self-indulgent emo, plastisheen pop and bubblegum punk, Cold War Relic rose from the ashes of legends who went before them and slipped rock and roll a big shot of adrenaline.

Formed in Orlando, Florida, the band features a virtual who’s who of established rockers: Andy Staggs on bass, Chris Bongiovanni (aka “B”) on vocals and guitar, George Fry on lead guitar, and Rob Tetro on drums.

The guys initially united to write and play music simply for the fun of it. They soon realized that while they didn’t take themselves too seriously, they’d crafted some very serious music. Alchemists of classic rock, metal, punk, and alternative, their song-writing has been heavily influenced by some of this century’s darkest elements.

Case in point, vocalist/guitarist B suggested that the ominous political climate of his childhood left a deep lasting chasm not just on his own psyche, but on the rest of the band as well. “Growing up in the late ’70s and ’80s had an impact on us,” he said. “I remember watching movies like The Day After and being scared shitless that we would blow up the world. Somewhere around that time, I began to understand just how monstrous a creature man can be. Since then I have watched how that monster moves in our everyday lives as well as how he has moved across history. Our sound is intimately tied to that element of humanity.”

That element of man’s humanity—or blackened lack thereof—is reflected in the band’s intense collection of sounds. Sometimes haunting, sometimes in-your-face aggressive, it never loses its melodic soul no matter how intense the ride may get.