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Year of the Spider

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Year of the Spider
Studio album by
Cold
ReleasedMay 13, 2003
RecordedSeptember–December 2002
Studio
Genre
Length63:43
Label
Producer
Cold chronology
13 Ways to Bleed on Stage
(2000) 		Year of the Spider
(2003) 		A Different Kind of Pain
(2005)
Singles from Year of the Spider
  1. "Stupid Girl"
    Released: March 18, 2003
  2. "Suffocate"
    Released: June 10, 2003
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Blender[4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[5]
Melodic[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
USA Today[8]

Year of the Spider is the third studio album by American rock band Cold. It was released on May 13, 2003, through Geffen Records. The album was Cold's most commercially successful, debuting at number three on the Billboard album charts, with over 101,000 copies sold in its first week. Early pressings of Year of the Spider were shipped with a DVD and a temporary tattoo of the Cold spider logo. The DVD included the making of the (as well as the actual) video for "Stupid Girl", fan testimonials, and some home video shot during the recording of the album. This is also the last album with guitarists Terry Balsamo and Kelly Hayes.

Background

[edit]

A year prior to the album's release, the mellow ballad "Gone Away" was released on the WWE Tough Enough 2 soundtrack. Its music video, which met with considerable airplay upon release, listed it as from the album Year of the Spider despite the long wait for its release. "Gone Away" was subsequently used as a hidden track; the song begins at 16:06 after 13 minutes and 13 seconds of silence (a reference to the superstitious nature of the band's previous effort 13 Ways to Bleed on Stage). The song "Came All The Way" was a B-side, which was cut late from the album. It's mentioned on the back cover of the album's booklet. It was later released on the Psi Ops soundtrack.

The album was frequently postponed from its projected release date. As early as April 2002, Year of the Spider was scheduled by Geffen for an October 2002 release. Frontman Scooter Ward also expected Elias Soriano of Nonpoint to contribute, but this did not come to fruition.[9]

Composition and lyrics

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With producer Howard Benson on hand, Year of the Spider is significantly more commercial than its dark predecessor, 13 Ways to Bleed on Stage. It features a variety of guitar styles, violin, viola, and cello, and digital effects as well as a number of power ballads. While still dwelling on topics like drug abuse and relationships, other topics are covered. "Cure My Tragedy" deals with the struggle with the cancer Scooter Ward's sister was having during the album's recording. "The Day Seattle Died" is about the deaths of grunge icons Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley. The band originally called the song "Kurt", but decided to pay homage to Staley as well after contemplating the apathy of the media towards his death; "[Staley] dies, and he doesn't even get on the front page of Rolling Stone. I have to do somethin'- not that I matter at all, but it matters to me."[10] The album's final song, "Kill the Music Industry", was not directly about any record label or individual, but the state of the music industry, according to Scooter Ward; "I hate all the bullshit they try to cram down your throat. Every kind of music I hear has no emotion to it anymore- no feeling, no depth in the lyrics."[10]

Singles

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"Stupid Girl", served as the album's lead single and was the only Cold single to crack the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 87. Its music video garnered frequent airplay as well. Like "Gone Away", the introductory song "Remedy" was used by WWE as the theme for the Backlash 2003 pay-per-view.

Following the release of the album's second single, "Suffocate", to radio stations, plans were set-forth for a video to accompany the song. However, for reasons unknown, Geffen refused to make the video or promote the album any further. The stalemate with the label led to frustrations within the band, and in early 2004, Terry Balsamo departed, replacing Ben Moody as lead guitarist in Evanescence. Balsamo was later replaced by ex-Darwin's Waiting Room guitarist Eddie Rendini. The band made efforts to release another single in "Wasted Years", but Geffen stayed true to their earlier promise by not financing or promoting the album any further.

Track listing

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(All songs written by Scooter Ward, except where noted)

No.TitleLength
1."Remedy"2:57
2."Suffocate" (featuring Sierra Swan)3:39
3."Cure My Tragedy (A Letter to God)"3:55
4."Stupid Girl" (Ward, Rivers Cuomo)3:09
5."Don't Belong"3:40
6."Wasted Years"4:07
7."Whatever You Became"3:45
8."Sad Happy"3:36
9."Rain Song"3:37
10."The Day Seattle Died"3:34
11."Change the World"4:01
12."Black Sunday"4:30
13."Kill the Music Industry" (Listed as "Kill the Fucking Music Industry" in album booklet. Kill the Music Industry ends at 2:56; hidden track entitled "Gone Away")19:13
  • "Gone Away" is embedded with "Kill the Music Industry", and begins at 16:06 after 13:13 of silence – a reference to the superstitious nature of their previous effort 13 Ways to Bleed on Stage.

Personnel

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Credits adapted from album's liner notes.[11]

Charts

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Singles – Billboard (North America)

Year Single Chart Position
2003 "Stupid Girl" Mainstream Rock Tracks 4
Modern Rock Tracks 6
The Billboard Hot 100 87
"Suffocate" Mainstream Rock Tracks 17
Modern Rock Tracks 21

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[15] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Kubaschk, Peter (July 18, 2011). "COLD - Superfiction". powermetal.de (in German). Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  2. ^ a b AllMusic review
  3. ^ Warminsky III, Joe (May 31, 2003). "COLD "YEAR OF THE SPIDER" (Flip/Geffen)". The Morning Call. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  4. ^ Diehl, Matt (May 2003). "The Guide New Releases". Blender. Dennis Publishing. p. 116 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2007). "Cold". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). MUZE / Omnibus Press. pp. 333–334. ISBN 978-1-84609-856-7.
  6. ^ Wippsson, Johan (May 5, 2003). "Melodic Net Review: Cold - Year of the Spider". Melodic. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  7. ^ Hoard, Christian (May 15, 2003). "Also Released". Rolling Stone. No. 922. p. 135. ProQuest 2567868473.
  8. ^ Gundersen, Edna (May 27, 2003). "Staind breaks the cycle with lighter 'Shades'". USA Today. pp. 08D. ProQuest 408891126.
  9. ^ D'Angelo, Joe and Cooper, Amy V. "Cold Singer Relates To Road-Weary Wrestlers" MTV.com (April 4, 2002). Retrieved on June 18, 2008.
  10. ^ a b Inc, Nielsen Business Media (May 31, 2003). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  11. ^ Year of the Spider (booklet). Flip/Geffen. 2003.
  12. ^ Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK: Chris C. – CZR". zobbel.de. Tobias Zywietz. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  13. ^ "Cold Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  14. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  15. ^ "American album certifications – Cold – Year of the Spider". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
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