Cold

Jacksonville-based alternative metal band Cold came up alongside fellow Florida rockers Limp Bizkit, growing from the same roots influenced by Metallica, Tool and Janes Addiction. However, where Limp Bizkit embraced a rap-led sound, Cold swung more towards soaring soundscapes and shoegaze.

Starting out in the mid-90s, Cold transitioned through several names and line-ups before settling in as Cold with a roster including Scooter Ward (vocals, guitar), Sam McCandless (drums), Kelly Hayes (guitar) and Jeremy Marshall (bass). They were discovered by Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst and put out their self-titled debut through his Flip label. A dedicated touring schedule saw them build a solid US fanbase and led to their breakthrough album, '13 Ways to Bleed on Stage', in 2000. It went gold, producing the mainstream hits 'End of the World', 'Just Got Wicked', 'No One' and their biggest hit to date, 'Stupid Girl'. 'Year of the Spider' did even better, debuting at number three on the Billboard 200, although they were later dropped by their label, Geffen.

Hayes and Balsamo left the band and McCandless had family illness to contend with, but the band struggled on to release the more mellow 'Different Kind of Pain' in August 2005, now with Matt Loughran and Mike Booth, and bassist Jeremy Marshall in the mix.

After the album the band split, with McCandless and Ward forming Killer and the Star. By the time the new group released their debut album in 2009, however, the original line-up of Cold was back together and touring. A new album, 'Superfiction', came in 2011 and fared well on the Billboard Alternative, Hard Rock and Independent Albums Charts. In 2019 they followed up with their sixth studio album, 'The Things We Can't Stop'.