Not only
did Limp Bizkit infiltrate the mainstream in the late 90s, but its frontman, Fred Durst, took countless other up-and-coming
acts under his wing, either hooking them up
with Limp Bizkit's
home label, Flip, or his own imprint, Flawless. The Jacksonville, Florida, USA-based Cold belonged to the
former group, as Durst (who comes from the same area) befriended them early on. Formed by Scooter Ward (vocals/guitar), Kelley
Hayes (guitar), Jeremy Marshall (bass), and Sam McCandless (drums), the band started in the middle of the decade under the
name of Grundig, before changing their name to Cold. After Durst discovered them, he introduced them to renowned producer
Ross Robinson, which led to their signing to Flip/Interscope. The band's self-titled debut, released in 1998, was supported
by tours alongside Limp Bizkit, as well as Jerry Cantrell and Soulfly, but despite enjoying favourable press and similarly
styled outfits racing up the charts, Cold failed to achieve breakthrough success. Shortly after a lengthy supporting tour
ended in 1999, Ward opted to put down the guitar and focus solely on being a singer, which led to the arrival of newcomer
Terry Balsamo on guitar. Around the same time, Cold also switched labels, as they signed on with Geffen Records. The newly
instated quintet enlisted the aid of Adam Kaspar and Nine Inch Nails drummer/programmer Chris Vrenna on 2000's 13 Ways To
Bleed On Stage. The album featured contributions from outside artists, including Staind frontman Aaron Lewis ("Send In The
Clowns" and "Bleed") and Dollshead's Sierra Swan ("No One" and "Witch"). Although the album received more attention on radio
and MTV than its predecessor, it too failed to push the band over the top commercially. An aborted tour of big venues opening
for Weezer did not help either, as the band dropped out owing to hostile crowd reactions.
biography provided by vH1.com
