Album Review: Coltre - To Watch With Hands... To Touch With Eyes

Coltre are a London based heavy metal band, formed in 2019, they released the 4 track EP ‘Under The Influence’ the same year that peaked the interest of Dying Victims Productions who later re-released it, while also adding a new track. The band return with their first full length album, To Watch With Hands... To Touch With Eyes, 8 tracks and just over 51 minutes of wistful harmonies fused together with a nostalgic guitar tone that’s rare to find in the age of modern metal. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Marco Stamigma, Daniel Sweed on lead guitar, Bassist Max Graves and the most recent addition to the bands line up, drummer Eduardo Mariotti. I was delighted to spend the day listening to this wonderfully dark yet equally spirited release.

The NWOBHM quartet absolutely nail an old school style of heavy metal while maintaining an authenticity and rawness throughout, the band have mastered a sentimental familiarity without the need for gimmick. Reminiscent of the 70’s hard rock movement, the bands debut album, To Watch With Hands… To Touch With Eyes is an epic yet moody showcase of dark riffs, stellar song writing and unique haunting vocals - with an average song length of 6-7 minutes, a heap of complex instrumental sections and a deliberately unpolished production adds to this records rustic charm.

Coltre kick off their debut album with the atmospheric ‘Feast Of The Outcast’, the track lures us in with a synthy pulse coupled with a beating hi-hat, building momentum before greeting us with some contrasting punchy bass lines, there’s a massive nostalgic feel already, as Marco Stamigna’s vocals kick in, it’s clear that Coltre feel like a gem of the past, an old school needle in a modern metal haystack. While listening is it hard to believe the album was released today, but in the best way.

Up next is the uplifting and mega energetic 'To Watch With Hands'. You can really feel the bands influences at the heart of this record, Blue Öyster Cult, Thin Lizzy and Ozzy era Sabbath, to name a few.

Rat Race has a continuous groove and an energetic tempo, another showcase of that raw mystic feel that this band seems to evoke with every track. With prominent drums, a consistent minimalist guitar tone, blended with the bands seamless harmonies make all of the tracks on this album feel fluid and flowing. Following up with the tracks ‘When The Earth Turns Black’ and ‘Friends Aren’t Electric’ incorporating powerful rhythm, Maiden-esque gallops and consistent dark but warm themes.

'Through The Looking Glass' begins slow, with a unearthly intro than repeats and builds before soon picking up the pace, add in those gorgeous moody vocals and it quickly all comes together to create that epic traditional hard rock feel that Coltre does so well, an electrifying guitar solo rips through and then we’re met with a captivating, almost magical ease, that slowly builds in a theatrical manner before resuming into it's momentum to end the track perfectly. The albums penultimate track 'Temptress' is full of this addictive electric energy, perfectly showcasing the bands technical ability and songwriting capacity.

Concluding with the uncharacteristic end track, 'Oblivion' is a dreamy and emotive ending to an otherwise high-energy record, a very different track than it’s predecessors, the song distinguishes itself with an eerie, slower paced feel that maintains it's tempo and magical essence throughout, building into a heartfelt guitar solo that then brings us to the end of the last track on the album.

All in all, To Watch With Hands... To Touch With Eyes is an absolutely solid NWOBHM album.

Rating: 8/10
Release Date: February 23rd, 2024
Released By: Dying Victim Production

Track list:

1. Feast of The Outcast
2. To Watch With Hands
3. Rat Race
4. When The Earth Turns Black
5. Friends Aren't Electric
6. Through The Looking Glass
7. Temptress
8. Oblivion