Originally known as Canister, A Colder Year have come along way since their early demos, moving away from the Deftones/Glassjaw hybrid they once were and subsequently developing into a melodic hard rock act that thrive on dynamic guitar work and flowing melodic vocals to catch the listeners ear and subsequently drag them along by it.

Overtly melodic with a slight coarseness in place to keep the songs feeling aggressive, band frontman Rob Montague's heavy hearted delivery comes off quite humble thanks to his restrained delivery. Almost as though he's in a constant war against his own inner demons, the vocals have a certain drained determination to them that sees them conveying a well worn sense of emotion while the backing vocals, courtesy of both of the bands guitarists, help to unleash some emotive choruses and a few enraged screams. Guitar wise the material is sharp and brash, using a wealth of atmospheric notes and strums and then funneling them off into looming riffs which come diligently assisted by the roomy low end rumble of the bass. A concise drumming performance compliments this approach and finds the percussion becoming more akin to auditory punctuation rather than adding any substantial rhythmic depth, a stylistic choice which in essence shifts the listeners focus towards the vocals and guitar work as a whole.

Overall this latest demo documents the band veering off from what used to be predictable influences and now trying to find their own distinct identity. As such they're starting to find their own strengths and capitalize upon them and it is indeed a pleasant surprise to see them distancing themselves from a sound that was all too familiar before, but despite this it's still quite clear that they are not out of the woods yet. While the band have taken a step away from a genre that was rapidly becoming overcrowded, the material on hand here still feels somewhat uninspired and rushed, making little progression individually as nearly each song becomes caught meandering in its own messy structuring. This isn't to say that the band are incompetent or incapable in their latest incarnation, but it does seem to suggest that they have yet to settle upon an entirely clear vision as to what exactly it is that they hope to create with their newly forged sound. Further adding to the problems at hand, this style of music rarely works without any discernible hooks or sharply channeled energy in place and unfortunately this demo is a strong representation of that. As such, without some serious time spent on tightening up their song writing and giving a progressive purpose to the material at hand, it would seem that A Colder Year will have a hard time getting little more than a cold reception from many of today's jaded music listeners.