Every once in a while I like to review something that stretches what is considered prog or not. Cold Insight fits neatly in the melodic death metal category and maybe isn’t quite prog. But for me “Further Nowhere” is an album full of musicality, solid riffs and tight arrangements. So it lingers somewhere on the fringes of prog metal.

Cold Insight is the project of the multi-talented Sébastien Pierre who is also in Fractal Gates, another great band you should definitely look into. Pierre plays everything on this album except for drums which are handled quite well by ex-In Mourning drummer Christian Netzell and the guitar solos which are done by Jari Lindholm (who also mixed and mastered the album). I do hear a resemblance to Fractal Gates which is bound to happen. But Cold Insight is a project that can stand on it’s own.

The real selling point for me is just how great the whole album flows and how good each song is. It might be hard to explain to some people but this album is like death metal for adults. I know Omnium Gatherum coined the term “Adult Oriented Death Metal” but I think Cold Insight really nails that description. A huge part of this is the keys that Pierre uses through out. Whether it’s the mid tempo “Stillness Days” or the awesome “Even Dies a Sun,” the keyboards are a critical part of what is otherwise a very heavy track. It makes for an excellent balance.

Pierre does have a solid clean vocal but his harsh voice is top notch. He reminds me a mix of Mikael Åkerfeldt and Dan Swanö (who mixed Fractal Gates) at times but he has a lot of different nuances to his vocals. The bottom line here is that this is a very consistent album. My only criticism is that it does seem a little safe at times but on the flip side is that makes listening to the album quite east to do. “Further Nowhere” is one of those albums that you listen to when you aren’t sure what to listen to because you know you can count on it to be enjoyable.

Rating: 8.5/10

Tracklist:
1: The Light We Are
2: Midnight Sun
3: Sulphur
4: Close Your Eyes
5: Above
6: Rainside
7: Stilness Days
8: Even Dies a Sun
9: Distance
10: I Will Rise
11: Further Nowhere
12: Deep

Bandcamp: coldinsight.bandcamp.com/album/further-nowhere
Facebook: www.facebook.com/coldinsight