With four popular singles, it gained substantial commercial success, achieving gold status, and landed Cold in the mainstream rock scene.

About a year prior to recording 13 Ways, the band enlisted guitarist Terry Balsamo; frontman Scooter Ward, who had sung and played guitar, wanted to focus solely on singing.

After trying a few musicians from Los Angeles, Cold chose fellow Jacksonville native Balsamo, who'd played with its members since the age of 18.

The album has a Parental advisory on the cover art for strong language and dark graphic themes such as drug addiction and its consequences, relationship troubles, and social indifference.

Cold (along with the Offspring, Weezer, Social Distortion, Incubus and Adema) was on the bill for the first annual Inland Invasion, which took place on August 25, 2001, and was hosted by the Los Angeles radio station KROQ.

The majority of singles from 13 Ways also received significant radio play and were instrumental in launching Cold into the mainstream music scene.