Atlanta crossover band Turn Cold came together in 2020, making them one of countless bands whose beginnings can be traced back to the isolation of the pandemic. Six years later, they’re preparing to release Disaster Recipe, a new EP that also marks the first release through their own DIY label, Just Buzzin' LTD.
Turn Cold guitarist Brett Butler points to old-school crossover staples like Cro-Mags, Leeway, and Nuclear Assault as major influences, alongside more recent bands such as Iron Age, Ekulu, and Downpresser. “Much like all the aforementioned, it’s hardcore with hooks,” Butler tells No Echo. “We’re big on riffs, and we’re probably in the minority these days tuning to E standard.”
That approach carries into Disaster Recipe, which John Douglass recorded in Atlanta and Daniel Schmuck mixed and mastered. Butler says the band first met Schmuck, who plays in the heavy metal band Myth Carver, while sharing a festival bill.
“Danny had a hand in a lot of recordings that we really love,” Butler says. “We met playing a fest together and started working together after that.”
Musically, Turn Cold remain rooted in crossover, but the subject matter behind the new material comes from a considerably darker place. Butler describes the EP as an examination of what he sees as a growing loss of humanity around him.
“Lyrically, it’s an examination of how everyone has lost their humanity, and we’re living in a dystopian hellscape,” he explains. “Bigots are feeling emboldened, social media is making everyone hate each other, billionaires run everything, no one seems bothered by genocide or blatant corruption, etc. The overarching theme is just disgust.”
While plenty fuels that disgust, Butler has a much more positive outlook on what’s happening within Atlanta hardcore.
“Atlanta Hardcore is definitely cooking right now,” he says. “There are several local promoters that are always bringing new hardcore bands to town and putting on great gigs, big and small. You can hit a good show several nights a week. These people are basically doing charity work and keeping DIY alive for Atlanta hardcore. We love playing at home.”
As for bands people should be paying attention to, Butler has no shortage of recommendations. He singles out Leverage as “an absolute must-listen” before rattling off Tombstone, Hubris Cannon, Held Back, Kongstyle, Vision of Ruin, End Result, Kontraband, Cheerleader, Die With Me, Taxpayer, Can’t Keep Up, Inner Shell, Tower of Pines, and Identity Shock.
Turn Cold will take the new material on the road for a short run in November, beginning November 20 in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, followed by stops in Fairfield, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; and Nashville, Tennessee.
Beyond Disaster Recipe, the band is already working on its next full-length. “We’re currently writing a new album and will be on the road plenty in 2027 for sure,” Butler says.
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Disaster Recipe will be out on November 30 via Just Buzzin' LTD (preorder).
Turn Cold on social media: Instagram
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