The remainder of the album is not a mere repetition of the elements shown on the opening track, however. Things soon take a markedly more melodic and melancholic turn, complete with clean singing, although Painted Black remain happy to crank up the aggression frequently enough. At times the music moves a little further into melodic doom, with more of a dark romantic slant, but always keeps a penchant for memorable guitar sequences and interesting songwriting. "Absent Heart" is where Painted Black go farthest into non-metallic mode, but the quieter sections become one of the album's rare missteps.

I am loath to write this about any Portuguese band, but I do feel Painted Black may well appeal to those who enjoy Moonspell's heavier moments -- though not because Painted Black borrow from their style or even sound like them. Their songwriting is considerably different, and _Cold Comfort_ may just as well appeal to anyone into melodic doom or My Dying Bride. It really is hard to pigeonhole them and reduce their target audience to a specific subset, because Painted Black do not adhere too stringently to a standard set of genre rules, instead mixing whatever they find appropriate at each point in a song.

For a debut album, _Cold Comfort_ provides proof that Painted Black possess solid songwriting skills, and that they are able to deliver a nice metallic crunch just as effectively as they can glide through more melodic or atmospheric elements. The album is well written, performed and produced, and rarely betrays a lack of experience, all of which indicates significant potential for future growth.