CD Reviews

Coliseum | Parasites

Temporary Residence Limited (2011)

By REYAN ALI | November 22, 2011

3.0 Stars

Coliseum are a band acutely aware of their strengths — perhaps too much so. On Parasites, the Louisville trio continue to rip out gritty riff after gritty riff, still fusing hardcore punk and doom metal in their smart, workmanlike way. Ryan Patterson still pens acerbic lyrics about contemporary life's cruelest demons, still barking his words like a righteous ledge-walker who threatens to jump in protest of life's shittiness. The only downside, really, is having to use "still" so often when describing what Coliseum do so well. House with a Curse, the group's most recent full-length, toyed with a meditative, speculative take on their template, but Parasites foregoes all that to ratchet the speed back up. Esoteric ideas surface here and there — take note of the creaky psych-rock effects marking "The Fiery Eye" and the weird ramblings of a Keith Morris sound-alike in "The Big Baby" — but they don't truly challenge themselves. Competency resembles complacency here. Opener "Blood of the Beasts" punches you in the face right off the bat, but if you've felt that punch several times before, does it retain that immediate and unexpected effect? Coliseum just need to let their imaginations run wild and find new places to strike.

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