There are certain records that when I listen to them, I can feel the emotion behind the music. Whether it be good or bad emotions, it gives me a different listening experience. Declination of Independence by Cold As Life is one of those records that sends chills through my body whenever I listen to it. I could just feel the violence and hatred coming from the riffing of guitarist Johnny Hate (R.I.P.) and the demonic screams of vocalist Jeff Gunnells.
Declination saw the band injecting some new influences into their already aggressive sound, making it even more brutal. The guitar playing on this record is a punch in the face and that's thanks to Johnny Hate, one of THE best hardcore guitarists. Along with Johnny Hate's riffing, Roy Bates is an absolute beast on the drums, occasionally pulling out a blast beat every once and a while to spice up the song. In addition to the instrumentation, the vocals are savage on this record. Jeff Gunnells sounds like a demon ready to tear through you with his powerful vocal style. The new sound the band went for on this album was reminiscent of Pyrexia’s 1997 classic System of the Animal with the Death-influenced Hardcore style and one has to wonder if they were listening to that record when writing this album.
Fans tend to say this record was a step down from 1997's Born to Land Hard because of the change in style but for me, it was a step up. It didn't help that when the record was originally released it was plagued by very little promo and terrible production that repressed the brutality of this record. Luckily this past year the album was remixed and remastered the way it was intended to sound. Also, any time you're feeling pissed, put on this record you'll feel better.
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