Band:	Painted Black
Album:	Cold Comfort
Style:	Gothic doom metal
Release date:	May 2010

01. Via Dolorosa
02. ShadowBound
03. The End Of Tides
04. Absent Heart
05. Cold Comfort (Release)
06. Winter (Storm)
07. The Rain In June (Out Of Season)
08. Inevitability

Portugal's Painted Black were a small apocalypse to me with their debut, Cold Comfort. This country definitely has some small diamonds in the world of atmospheric metal's vast sea and these guys play a mixture of gothic and doom metal with dynamic outbursts, setting the basis of the sound upon which they will step in their probable future releases.

Well, the scene doesn't have many options of innovation, the best things you can do as a new-comer is to be inspired and feel your compositions, while paying respect to your influences. Painted Black have their influences, one may find some references to bands like Katatonia, Anathema, latest Swallow The Sun or even Lacrimas Profundere's Burning: A Wish etc, but still they use them well, taking elements they desire blending them with their own ideas.

In Cold Comfort you will find a variety of tempos, emotions, melodies and heaviness and the way the more emotional moments turn to an outrage of grunting vocals and vice versa is well-structured. Something that helps them unfold their ideas without being pushed by time is the fact that they let them flow naturally no matter if they reach eight, nine or even ten minutes.

The overall guitar work is brilliant, you will find weeping melodic moments, beautiful acoustic passages and powerful guitar riffing that escalates the compositions, all of them succeeding one another in terms of atmosphere and continuation in a successful manner. Despite the tracks being well-presented and inspired, with the keyboards slightly enriching the atmosphere without overabusing the band's sound system (the same applies for some very few female vocals), the real treasure is the vocalist, Daniel Lucas. Not only his clean vocal lines are utterly expressive/emotional and full of variety, his grunts are also powerful, forging impenetrable walls with the powerful riffs alongside the rhythm section.

It's been a long time since I last listened to a really strong debut album and Painted Black definitely know what they're doing with Cold Comfort, offering eight sincere compositions to keep you intense company for almost an hour. If you're into melodic gothic/doom metal that is not afraid to speed up you should check them as soon as possible, they didn't just break into the scene dynamically, they're giving promises for an even greater future as well.

Highlights: "Winter (Storm)", The End Of Tides, Via Dolorosa, Inevitability.