DS Album Review: Colorsfade takes you to Riff City on sophomore LP “Built From The Wreckage”

If there’s one thing Canada’s really fucking good at, it’s churning out some of the finest skate punk you’ll ever hear. Quebec’s Colorsfade find themselves in elite company with bands like Belvedere and Mute, and their new album proves they have what it takes to hang with the big boys. This record checks all the boxes of what I look for in a skate punk record: Great songs with big choruses Excellent production Guitars taking you on a one-way trip to Riff City Built From The Wreckage earns my preliminary nomination for Shreddiest Album of 2023.

The first few songs Colorsfade premiered off Built From The Wreckage landed them a spot on Dying Scene’s Band Spotlight. After hearing those tracks – “Complaining”, “Roll of the Dice”, and “Open Book” – I knew this was probably gonna be one of my favorite albums released this year. And now that I’ve heard the seven remaining songs, I can say with confidence this album will make my year-end Top 10 list. There isn’t a single bad song in the bunch; everything on this thing is stellar. This record is right up there with the likes of Mute’s Thunderblast and This Is A Standoff‘s Be Disappointed when it comes to technically proficient, melodic punk rock.

Built From The Wreckage is much more than a barrage of guitar riffs; yes, there is a surplus of shredding, but it’s done quite tastefully so as not to overshadow the songwriting (which, by the way, is top fuckin’ notch in its own right). The album opens with a chugging bassline on “Line In The Sand”, and slowly introduces the rest of Colorsfade’s instrumental ensemble before kicking into high gear about a minute into the song. From then on, it’s a full speed ahead. Other standouts include “Reclaiming Your Own”, “We Won’t Fall”, “Society is Crumbling”, and the penultimate “Our Time to Shine”. Really, you could throw all these songs in a hat and wouldn’t risk drawing a stinker. All killer, no filler baby!

So there ya have it folks. Colorsfade fucking rules. Built From The Wreckage is an absolute scorcher of an album. I’m tired of hearing people proclaim punk is dead, because bands like these guys (and awesome labels like People of Punk Rock Records who put these records out) continue to prove time and time again that’s just not the case. Support this band. Buy the record.

I give Built From The Wreckage 5/5 Stars