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In the wake of the untimely death of vocalist/guitarist Mieszko Talarczyk, who died in the Asian tsunami disaster in December 2004, it took a year after the demise of Swedish grindcore act Nasum for drummer Anders Jakobson to find the inspiration to put together another band. But within another six months, he returned to the drum stool within a group formed under the moniker Coldworker, who quickly put together its debut offering, “The Contaminated Void.” (The band also consists of ex-Phobos vocalist Joel Fornbrant, Ruin guitarist Anders Bertilsson, Carnal Grief guitarist André Alvinzi and ex-Relentless bassist Oskar Palsson.)
“The Contaminated Void” is initially a little unexpected for Nasum fans, since Coldworker is essentially a death metal act with only subtle shades of Jakobson’s grindcore past filtering through. A strong Cannibal Corpse influence is heard within the opening riff of leadoff track “The Interloper,” but it isn’t long before the rest of the band join in, giving Coldworker a different (if somewhat familiar sound) that enables it to dodge the Cannibal Corpse clone syndrome.
Follow-up track “D.E.A.D.” boasts a punishing groove and great solo moment, while the band quickly casts aside the darker and slower introduction of “An Unforgiving Season” to go straight for the throat with a speed-induced jump.
For the remainder of the album, Coldworker rarely breaks out of the mold the first three tracks set. But having said that, there’s enough variety and downright brutal moments (especially Fornbrant’s vocal assaults and Jakobson’s battery behind the kit in tracks like “Death Smiles At Me” and “They Crawl Inside Me Uninvited”) to keep self-respecting modern death metal fans entertained, or at least until the band establishes a sound that’s rightfully theirs, and theirs alone. » coldworker.com
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