Colorsfade
Built From The Wreckage
People Of Punk Rock
Released: January 30, 2023
Gatineau’s Colorsfade are back with Built From The Wreckage, their sophomore recording – and skate punk fans need to take note.
It has been roughly five years since Colorsfade dropped their debut full-length record, In Real Time, and from the opening moments of Built From The Wreckage the growth this band has undergone is instantly evident.
Stylistically, Built From The Wreckage continues on where In Real Time left off. High energy, fast paced skate punk that incorporates more than just a barrage of power chords played as fast as the fingers can slide between them. While In Real Time had all of these elements, and some solid songs throughout the record, they have really managed to amp things up for the second full-length offering. Colorsfade are part of a budding Quebec punk scene that is constantly churning out great bands – there’s a reason why so many bands love to play in this province, and yeah, musicians will always say that whichever city they’re playing on any given night is their favorite, but Quebec is always on the tips of the tongue when asked about the best regions to tour to. Believe that.
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If you think about it – it makes sense. Shows in this province draw good size crowds, and there are so many great festivals that keep that fire burning. Whether it’s Montebello Rockfest – which may or many not be over with, or Pouzza Fest, Red Bridge, Music 4 Cancer, Envol Et Macadam , ’77 – and a dozen more that I won’t get to. Great labels like Stomp Records, People Of Punk Rock Records, Thousand Islands Records, Dusty Wax Records and others that have continually released killer albums and re-issues of hard to find, lost gems. This is a punk rock mecca; and we haven’t even begun to name the bands that have been rocking since the early, early days of the whole punk realm.
What I really dig about Built From The Wreckage is that the whole package feels like a throwback to the later days of the 90s skate punk scene – highly melodic, fast paced and thrashy with some really technical guitar riffage. There are still moments that ride that fine line between punk rock and pop punk, and on the flipside of that, are some segments that are balls-out heavy too. On Reclaiming Your Crown, Colorsfade explore a sound that is practically metal in its final act. Think how a band like Good Riddance would blend skate punk with an obvious metal edge back in the day, on records like Symptoms Of Aa Leveling Spirit, and you’re headed in the right direction. In short, there is a lot of variety to the music of Colorsfade, and for those of us that were around in that legendary 90s scene, a whole hell of a lot to like.
On top of the technical string work, are a barrage of really well formulated solos that work well to accentuate the pieces they appear in; there’s a solo on Your Remedy that makes me scrunch up my face in admiration, as if the wrinkles on my old face are yelling fucking yes, yes, yes! Slow breaks like the way that ends off Open Book, into the Strung Out-esque opening riff of Complaining create enough changes of pace to keep everything interesting through the albums near forty minute run, and really makes the time fly by. Colorsfade find strength in strong composition and have really honed their skills since In Real Time – which in itself was a solid record, but with Built From The Wreckage, we are seeing a version of Colorsfade that has truly found its sound and path.
On Roll Of The Dice, the vocals are reminiscent of those of Deron Miller, formerly of CKY, and as far as I am concerned, that is a blessing. Very few can do for a song what Miller would do on those early CKY works, and if we’re being honest here, the band hasn’t been the same since he left. The bands vocalist is also their drummer, Jean-Francois Buteau, but all four members are credited with vocals on the record – which I strangely envisioned would lead to at least a couple of hardcore styled gang vocals, alas nay nay, none of that.
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Buteau’s drumming is traditional for the genre, but along with the guitar work of Francis Boulet and Yan Filiatreault, and the driven bass lines of Guillaume Vallée, creates an energetic gallop that drives the band. While the strings can vary, the drummer of any particular sound needs to remain somewhat consistent. Take Discharge for example, who kick-started an entire subgenre of Punk on their drumming; the d-beat – the Discharge beat. Most importantly of all though, beyond the technicality of the music, is that it has solid groove and is fun to listen to. You can be as technically sound as humanly possible but if you lack fun, you need to get back to drawing board. Colorsfade are a fun band.
There are several versions of the new Colorsfade record, Built From The Wreckage, to chose from; colored vinyl and compact discs and if you’re quick enough, there’s even test pressings available from People Of Punk Rock Records. There’s also streaming options if that’s your thing. Don’t sleep on this one!
For Fans Of: Ten Foot Pole, Good Riddance, Down Memory Lane
Track Listing:
01. Line In The Sand
02. Open Book
03. Complaining
04. Reclaiming Your Crown
05. Your Remedy
06. Roll Of The Dice
07. Rise To The Challenge
08. We Won’t Fall
09. Society Is Crumbling
10. Our Time To Shine
