London quartet, Cold in Berlin, released their debut album as far back as 2010. So why do they strike so many people as ones to watch for the future? The charismatic vocals of Maya Wittleton and the minimalist sophistication of their musical arrangements account for much of the praise heaped on them. Their journey from death rock and back via post-punk and gothic metal is an unusual evolution. Album number five is not the completion of a cycle, but that’s a testament to the imagination and wide range of influences at play.
A thick and bouncy synth opens ‘Hangman’s Daughter’ as if they wanted to import Nitzer Ebb into their post-punk musings. Here, Maya wastes no time imposing a mantra on the song, ritualising her words like a witch. Listen beyond the repetition and tight rhythms and you’ll hear an imaginative layer of guitar that hovers between simple arpeggios and sliding octaves. Likewise, Lawrence Wakefield’s bass is loud in the mix despite competing with a synth. “I saw her like a dream / I saw her reaching out to me,” declares Maya with wide-eyed intensity.
Clearly, Cold in Berlin are not post-punk revivalists – their sonics are heavy, and that’s a good thing. Sticksman, Alex Howson, makes his snares sound as dry and as raw as Larry Mullen Jr. on the early U2 records, yet he finds an extended groove in ‘12 Crosses’. Watch how an alto sax tries to break through the walls as Maya laments the twelve crosses on her back (and holding her back). Comparing this manic ritual to Siouxsie Sioux is as predictable as snow in Alaska. By contrast, traces of Can’s krautrock escape from the speakers in the intro to ‘Messiah Crawling’, but the tempo is closer to doom metal. Following the shapes of the rotating bass can bring silent satisfaction if you want something to focus on aside from the incantations of Cold in Berlin’s singer. This music conjures images of berobed figures waving their hands in time with the latent rhythms of the night. Repeating “such a cold, cold night” can feel a bit irksome at the halfway point of this song once you’ve heard the phrase eight times.
“He was not a bad man when they started out / But it grew in his belly where the black blood flows / She was not a sad song when they started out / But he grew through her veins where the darkness grows,” laments Maya in narrator mode for ‘They Reign’. Sometimes, you wonder how much of this is wordplay to facilitate the rhythmic consistency of the instruments. At other times, you can impose a meaning on them. Is this a fable about unequal relationships between lovers from incompatible backgrounds?
Much of this album finds its identity in the last decade of the Cold War. The new romantic synths and high-register guitar notes of ‘The Stranger’ take you back to 1981 but evolve with a throbbing bass frequency and a grungy overlay of distortion. It’s fascinating to watch this transformation as the tempo remains the same. Close your eyes and it could be Jane’s Addiction at their most mystical until they reset expectations at 03:31 with a John Carpenter synth. Unfortunately, “This strange, strange song is calling out to me,” receives an insufferable number of chants towards the end. Thank goodness they have surprises in store in other areas. A flirtation with the catchy Dinosaur Jnr. alt-rock of the early 1990s will make you sit up for the start of ‘We Fall’ before they find their darkwave comfort zone in the first verse. The guitar pitch bends are the nearest thing to a conventional melody.
But is the problem here that the rituals lose their impact due to sheer exhaustion? Cleansing your body of negative energy is a demanding process when you must always keep your focus on the charismatic singer. Following the actions of the drummer is one way of staying disciplined. Alex Howson shows in ‘I Will Wait’ that he could walk into any prog metal band despite playing within the tight confines of post-punk. There’s nothing that reeks of overly digitised engineering, which is impressive considering the tools at every band’s disposal these days.
Maya’s elegant London accent is a breath of fresh air in the spoken word meets Soundgarden ceremony for closing track, ‘Wicked Wounds’. “Where’s your prayer book now?” could be an admonishment of herself. “I saw a man on the high street / I saw a demon on the high street / He came up to me / He said to me, “I’ve got bad news,” recants Cold in Berlin’s singer. It’s not always clear what’s inside her head, but you’ll want to know more.
JVB
Verdict
Release Date: 07/11/2025
Record Label: New Heavy Sounds
Standout tracks: Hangman’s Daughter, The Stranger, The Body
Suggested Further Listening: Messa – The Spin (2025), Blodet – Death Mother (2023), Moths – Septem (2025)