On this, their third full-length offering, Coliseum provide a balanced and eclectic mix of sludgy, post-metal inspired, hardcore that is vast sounding, memorable and contrite.
With only one track surpassing the five-minute mark, Coliseum are as equal parts Neurosis and Melvins as they are Social Distortion or Black Flag. The trio utilizes piano, organ and violins on certain tracks without ever seeming to cheapen their hardcore style. They are heavy without being brutal and meditative without being dreary or boring.
The second track “Blind In One Eye” is a catchy, pulsing hardcore song while the fourth song, “Crime and the City” kicks off with an infectious, rocking bass line only to break down into a spacey, atmospheric groove. “Perimeter Man” is a darker, moodier song where main man Ryan Patterson, who handles vocal and guitar duties, solemnly recites lines of poetry during the mellow section as opposed to his usual bark.
It is not often that a hardcore band spins the genre in a new way. On House With A Curse, the band does just that with an additional progressive edge. Not only are the songs good, but they work together as a cohesive album as the arrangements ebb and flow, allowing each track to stand on its own and effortlessly flow into the next.
In A Word: Innovative
