The Wicked Side Of Me is the third release from Cold Driven. What I still enjoy the most about their albums is how well polished they all have been. They have not taken any shortcuts which I can hear throughout all of their recordings. Every song sounds as if it has been passed through a fine tooth comb a number of times and has come out with the best possible sound. Not only powering behind a well polished sound the catchy guitar riffs really are a critical aspect of the album success.

  To start off the album there is a short intro song which generates a eerie atmosphere which succeeds in setting up for the rest of the album. But do not get fooled in thinking the album is going to be at this tempo as the intro comes to a close “Kingdom Come” grounds itself in. Coming with a Heavy Metal intro which has Dennis on Bass, Shane and Ben on Lead and Rhythm guitar along with Jeremy on drums picks up the tempo and volume rather quickly. To me another very important factor which I have always found with Cold Driven is how audible the vocals have always been (Billy Nickell on vocals), usually with a hard rock/metal album the vocals can be sometimes lost but Cold Driven has been persistent with their vocals. The deep rhythm and opening riff really sets the tone for what Cold Driven is all about. When I first listened to the album I probably hit the repeat button on my cd player in my truck a few times before I let the album progress. If I had to choose a lead off single this would be a definite choice for me.

 Just as “Kingdom Come” had a catchy riff, the title track “The Wicked Side Of Me”, is no different. Throughout the song is sounded as if there was a small battle going on with who could upstage who between Jeremy on drums and Ben on lead guitar. Ben really dug deep to create a few wicked sounding riffs throughout the song. On top of everything which is going on between the drums and guitars quite a few times I found myself being driven away from the vocals and focusing on the instrumental aspect of the song. I was a little surprised by the tempo change in the song, I thought for sure during my first pass through that they were going to stay at the same tempo as the beginning but the song does not slow down to the point of no return and gives Ben a chance to show off a sweet riff.

 To finish off the album “Rise of The Broken” gets the honour. The opening riff rips right through into a onslaught of rhythm and powerful vocals. To finish of the album with a song as strong as this one is was a great idea, leaves you wanting more and more. The opening riff makes a few appearances throughout the song. Compared to a couple of the other songs on the album the vocals I found blended in with the guitars and drums a little bit more. The vocals went deeper and a little harsher to match with the small amount of distortion going on in the guitars. The backing vocals added an extra little bit to the overall sound of the vocals as well. Near the ending of the song the lead guitar really gives the song and the album an extra little punch. The song and the album finish on a strong and heavy note.

 You can pick up your copy of Cold Driven – The Wicked Side Of Me by visiting www.ColdDriven.com