Reminiscing to a time when Seattle grunge was king, there were few bands (Soundgarden, Nirvana, Alice in Chains) that were able to capture emotions and create incredible music from depressive stories and offbeat experiences. Nearly a decade later, Cold manages to display the same extraordinary ability to create music that is not only incredibly dark and deep, but amazingly catchy and accessible as well.

Every release from Cold has improved upon the one before, and Year of the Spider is no exception. The CD is a perfect representation of just how good a mainstream band can truly be when it has the talent to back its marketing. If you were expecting only a few songs to truly shine on this release, you're going to be in for a pleasant surprise. Every song on the album has the markings of well thought lyrics, and they stimulate your emotions through their beauty. Scooter's deep and crystal clear vocals allow you to absorb every word of each song, something that has become hard to do without a lyrics sheet these days. Albeit the lyrics are written around depressing material (sexual abuse, loneliness, self-loathing), the ability to connect with them is what makes this album so special, and puts Cold light years ahead of many other bands.

Even though the album isn't as heavy as their previous two, the music has evolved and progressed into something better, regardless of the down-shift in power. Everything about this CD is unbelievably enjoyable, from the perfectly mixed bass, the raw emotion, the lyrics, not one thing seems out of place. Year of the Spider is the product of extremely talented musicians who pride themselves in making memorable melodies out of every song they produce. The added touch of "The Day Seattle Died" paying tribute to fallen legends Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley solidifies this album as an album to remember in years to come. Having every song in an album catch your attention is extremely rare, but Cold has done it, and has managed to create a stunning success of an album. Not listening to this album would be a mistake in its own; this album belongs in everyone's collection.