To our friends in the Great White North

Cursed is on tour again and has been getting a lot of good reviews for Two, their second full-length. Arguably, at least half of what makes them stand out as a band is Chris Colohan’s distinct vocals, the musical red threat holding their songs together, as much as in any previous band he has been in.

Colohan first got attention as a vocalist when he joined three former members of Chokehold to form Left for Dead. Following that was, of course, The Swarm, a band that was matched in intensity only by the likes of Catharsis, Ire and His Hero Is Gone. Both Left for Dead and The Swarm have discography CDs out, which, if you haven’t already, I urge you to check out.

As you may know, aside from Cursed, Colohan is also a member of Ruination. However, what you may not know is that from 1998-2000, he also sang in Toronto’s Countdown to Oblivion, sharing vocal duties with Stephe Perry. Over the course of those two years, they recorded a demo, a 7” entitled Brain surgery for beginners (Deranged), a split 7” with They Live (Ugly Pop) and a handful of compilation tracks. Notably, the band also included former members of Anti-Flag and Holocron, among many others.

Now, here’s the thing: Countdown to Oblivion’s music is every bit as powerful as anything by Colohan’s other bands. It’s fast and angry and the riffing is decidedly on the metal side, dual guitar harmonies and all, but with a hardcore feel to it, in no small part thanks to the vocals. Best of all, with a little luck you should easily be able to find copies of the EPs and, believe me, they’re worth a bit of digging. (And speaking of digging, if anyone could help me get a hold of any of the compilation songs, I would greatly appreciate it.)

To wet your beak, here are two songs off Brain surgery and one of the songs from the split. For more detailed information on the band, check out Ugly Pop.

Countdown to Oblivion – The way it is
Countdown to Oblivion – Take it apart
Countdown to Oblivion – Poster children for family values