Cobalt
War Metal (cd)
Wydane przez From Beyond Productions/Displeased RecordsRok wydania 2005Kraj USANapisał Wouter8
From Beyond Productions/Displeased Records with Australian acts such Deströyer 666 and Abominator as primary influence US outfit Cobalt isn't immediately going to score any prices for originality. But this doesn't mean that "War Metal" isn't a quality release. 'Hammerfight' kicks off on a convincing note merging high speed black metal passages with acoustic parts and mid tempo cuts. 'Angelfangs' sets out an epic structure before turning into straightforward black metal storm which occasionally slows down to build atmosphere. For being only a duo Cobalt have managed to create a pulverizing wall of sound that even some 4 piece bands cannot reach on a debut. Where 'Angelfangs' went for a slightly more epic approach 'Raise the Hammer Of War' starts off with a tight drum solo before going into full black/thrash metal gear. The closing section is particularly interesting as the band pulls out all stops while raising the tempo to extraordinary heights before throwing in a great guitar lead and some monolithic breaks along the way. 'World On Its Knees' suffers from familiarity in riffs and the composition isn't exactly the most interesting either, some convincing head nodding moments are sprinkled through out but overall, not the strongest track on the record. 'Summoning Of Napalm Mists' sees Cobalt deliver another strong track with occasional old school thrash metal dynamics and riffs. The guitar harmonics and interaction between guitar and drums help raise this track above the rest so far, truly the strongest display of black/thrash is to be found here. 'Lunar Warface' follows in these steps and brings back memories of the classic Scandinavian black metal of the early nineties. 'Empire Of the Moth' concludes this album on a convincing note in all-out track of epic proportions combining both death and black metal. Fans of Deströyer 666 should really give this a listen.
www.cobalt-attack.com
