CD Review  

Wolverine
"Cold Light of Monday"

Rating 91%

reviewed by Ash Brown

Sarah is a young girl. She has been abused. She is alone. She is scared. This is her story. "Cold Light of Monday" is Swedish MetalliProg band Wolverine's third album. The concept album tells how Sarah looks back over her short and sorrowful life, and tries to work out how she has ended up where she is. Opening song Dawn sets the mood and atmosphere. Dark and depressing. Wonderful. Sarah picks it up and throws in some Pain of Salvation shapes. "Scream for us, Bleed for us" cries her tormentors "Let us tear that young heart out, and watch it die before our eyes" chants the evil background voices in the excellent Best New Friend, before the industrial techno of Tightrope, which wouldn't sound out of place on Porcupine Tree's great In Absentia album.

The longest track, Carousel, musically is the least interesting, possibly because lyrically it tells of Sarah's bright hope before the melancholy Trust brings her back down in an interesting piano led piece, though regrettably the middle section has an annoying drum pattern behind it. Oh well, nothing's quite perfect. Pantomime tends to ponder along, rather like Carousel, while the instrumental Red Canvas brings back the interest level, before Dusk tries hard to be their My Empty Room and nearly makes it.

Tied with Sin floats along nicely, but the band can feel that we want to rock out, so they do in the final track The Final Redemption which, is true epic fashion, has a highly climatic ending! I remember now...

Overall, this is a great album, and well worth your prog-dosh if PoS / Opeth and the ilk take your fancy.

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