Kobra And The Lotus - Self Titled
CD Info
2012
Spinefarm Records (Europe) / Universal Music (Canada)
12 Tracks
English Lyrics
Every year, we metal journalists ask the same burning question: Which band will be the “Next Big Thing”? Apparently 2012 is the year of the cobra – Kobra And The Lotus, that is. This quintet from Calgary, Alberta, Canada have already made their mark as part of the revival of traditional heavy metal. They garnered enough attention with their self-released 2010 debut album, Out of the Pit, to tour briefly in North America and the United Kingdom. And now with their self-titled second album, Kobra And The Lotus appear ready for worldwide success. Critics and fans alike have hailed the band for their back-to-basics approach that’s reminiscent of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Queensrÿche. (Being signed to Kiss frontman Gene Simmons’ record label doesn’t hurt, either.) However, does this killer idea translate into promising results on Kobra And The Lotus?
I know I implied doubt with that question, but right now let’s focus on the positives of Kobra And The Lotus. For starters, I enjoyed the record’s overall sound. It’s HUGE, like a tsunami swelling higher and higher as it closes in on the shore. That should be no surprise, given the band’s influences. Guitar shreds from Jasio Kulakowski and Timothy Vega, rhythmic thunder, and commanding vocals galore join forces to unleash sonic energy at its rawest. Leading that charge is singer Kobra Paige. Gone are her screeching-cat days from Out of the Pit. She now has a more mature approach and enough lung capacity to break down doors and shatter windows. Her delivery could benefit from more charisma and (a lot) less vibrato, but it’s a welcome improvement over last time. The songs on Kobra And The Lotus are also generally stronger and more entertaining than their older material.
Most of Kobra And The Lotus follows the “keep it simple” formula. No track exceeds 5 minutes or steers away from standard song structures. But there’s plenty of aggression, sprinting tempos, and old-school slicing and dicing on guitars. Also, take note of the song titles: “50 Shades of Evil,” “Heaven’s Veins,” “No Rest for the Wicked,” “My Life,” etc. They all allude to timeless metal lyrical subjects such as good vs. evil, fantasy / mythology, and free will. The best of this bunch are “Nayana” and “50 Shades of Evil.” The former throws Sanskrit lore and a disco-rhythm chorus into power metal; while the latter opens the album with guitars thrashing and screaming, jackhammer double bass, and Kobra barreling through the music with all her might.
Kobra And The Lotus contains no real ballads (a decision made by the band’s record label, according to our recent interview with Kobra). The slowest the band dares to go is on “Sanctuary,” which begins with a soulful piano intro and then revs up into a full-throttle cry of loneliness. A few other tracks offer more variety. Stadium-throbbing chants and talkbox distortions give “Forever One” a Bon Jovi-esque swagger, while the morbidity and midtempo sultriness of “Welcome To My Funeral” make the track unique. Keyboards turn “Aria of Kamika” into a symphonic-tinged war tale that gallops off to metallic glory. This song’s battle-ready tone should guarantee it a spot on a fantasy video game soundtrack.
Some variety, however, usually means not enough variety. That’s why Kobra And The Lotus gets tiring as it goes on. The songwriting may be decent, and the classic approach is executed with skill… But after a while, the listener grows numb to all of the bravado, and every track starts to sound the same or repeat the same lyrical ideas. What bothers me the most about Kobra And The Lotus, though, is the vibrato in Kobra’s voice. I’ve heard other singers use this trembling technique when they hold long notes – but Kobra overdoes it. Lines from nearly every verse and chorus on this record shake as if they’re being rocked by an earthquake. Kobra’s voice is sometimes such a distraction that I have trouble recalling some of the melodies. That’s not a good sign when the singer affects a song’s memorability.
I honestly want to like Kobra And The Lotus. It’s one of the most massive-sounding femme metal records of this year and should help the band’s popularity skyrocket. However, all I feel towards it is indifference. If the band had experimented more with the individual character of each track, perhaps I’d be as excited as the rest of the crowd. Fans will ultimately be pleased that Kobra And The Lotus is markedly better than Out of the Pit. Yet, it leaves so much room for improvement that fans of classic metal might find themselves returning to their favorite old-school records instead of giving Kobra And The Lotus another chance. Surely that’s not the band’s intention. But they’ll need to do much better next time around if they want to be considered a true great in this genre.
7 / 10
Best Songs: “Forever One,” “Aria of Kamika”
Recommended for fans of classic heavy metal (Iron Maiden, Judas Priest) or female-fronted heavy metal / power metal (Benedictum, Triosphere, Seven Kingdoms)
Kobra And The Lotus is out now in Europe. Release dates for other regions have yet to be announced.
