‘Well worth a listen’ I chirped when Brooklyn bruisers Pist.On first released their Cold World EP earlier this year. And it certainly must have been, because it pricked up the ears of American label M-Theory Audio, who now re-release the three tracker IN BEEFED-UP, AUGMENTED FORM!

Cunningly entitled Cold World +, you can now enjoy Pist.On. v.2022 with the addition of 2001’s Saves EP and some demo tracks to give the whole thing the feel of an album with an eleven track run time. As noted in our original review of Cold World, one of the most endearing things about the band’s new material is it’s apparent refusal to acknowledge that we are no longer residing in 1999; ergo, the addition of contemporaneously recorded material now does nothing to detract from the overall sound of the record. The first seven tracks flow perfectly, and those of you who were unlucky enough not to hear Saves when it first came out will enjoy the chance to familiarise yourselves with them here, especially the Sabbathian grind of Vamp 69 and the Pixies-retooled-as-goth-metal allure of I Don’t, both of which prove that, despite the mauling the band received at the hands of unsympathetic record companies, Pist.On remained a force to be reckoned with as song writers of no little skill in 2001.

That skill remains, as was evinced by Cold World’s appearance earlier this year, and also on the raw, abrasive 2021 demos recorded last year that are included as part of the package. Light, especially, with it’s neat half-inching of Slayeresque guitar, works very well, whilst the Smashing Pumpkins-styled dirge Pain also it’s the spot. As an extra bonus, the band have included their contribution to Metal Blade‘s Metal Massacre XII, Exhume Her, which originally saw the light of day in 1995 and might remind long term fans just how close the band were to Type O Negative all those years ago…

It’s great not only to have the band back and clearly firing  on all four cylinders – but also to enjoy some rather splendid black-clad blasts from the past as well, but can we have a new all-new full length soon, guys?

Cold World + releases on July 29th. Read Scott’s review of the original EP HERE