Cold as Life is an American hardcore punk band based out of Detroit, Michigan, United States, formed in 1988. Lyrical themes consisted of brutal depictions of the horrors of growing up and living in a city plagued with corruption, murder, drugs, depression and poverty, along with the tragedy of losing friends, family and bandmates to murder and drug abuse. Their shows were frequently violent, involving vicious fights that often included stabbings and beatings with various weapons. Stories of these shows would spread throughout the Midwest punk and hardcore communities, contributing to the band's notoriety. Cold as Life drew musical influence from such bands as Negative Approach, Sheer Terror, Discharge, 4 Skins, Cro-mags, Black Sabbath and Slayer.
In early 2007, a reunion tour was organized by former members but featured Enzo (of fellow Detroit band Dogz of War) on vocals instead of co-founder Jeff Gunnells.
On June 4, 2013, Jeff Gunnells was sentenced to between 10 and 20 years in prison for armed robbery. Cold as Life reformed once again in 2015 and have played sporadically since.