Cobalt: Slow Forever (2016)

It has been quite some time since I have checked in with Cobalt.  Back in 2009, their album Gin was a critical darling of the metal press, coming near the top of several year-end lists.  It was an American black metal album of the highest order, taking influence from mostly other U.S. black metal bands, throwing in some sludge metal and crafting their own sound around it. 

I loved the album too, but I had almost forgotten about the band, and it has been years since I have heard Gin.  I decided to check out their most recent album, apparently the only one I missed.  Some things have changed about the band.  Vocalist and lyricist Phil McSorley, who was an active member in the U.S. Army, is no longer in the band.  Replacing him on vocals is Charlie Fell, who was a drummer for Abigail Williams and is most recently known for his time with controversy magnets Lord Mantis.  

The first thing I noticed upon listening to this album is the increase in melodies and sections that have a very distinct American/Western feel to them.  In fact the album kicks off with one such melody in opening track "Hunt the Buffalo".  The title is also a dead giveaway.  There is also the cavalry cadence of the snare drums in "Animal Law" and the instrumental track "Breath" which sounds like something that would be at home in a John Wayne Western.  These influences and melodies continue throughout the entire album giving it a definite Americana vibe.  It is kind of odd because most of the music is very clearly black metal, with Fell's raspy roar and cold, razor-sharp riffs.

The other thing that I noticed, which is maybe not as much of a point in the album's favor, is the length.  This thing is almost an hour and a half in length and many of the songs eclipse the eight minute mark.  In other words, it is a little difficult to find time to sit down and just listen to this album all the way through.  And that is the way that the album works best, not in snippets, but in one cohesive whole because Cobalt does a fantastic job of having the songs lead into one another.  It just feels complete that way.

It has been a long time since I have heard Gin.  I will have to pull it back out to compare to this one.  I just remember that I really enjoyed it.  And I really enjoy this one too, perhaps even moreso.  I find the Americana elements add a lot of flavor to the still impressive black metal elements.  This is a truly American black metal album. 

Year in Metal: 2009

Link to larger post.

My Top 10 as shown in that post:
10. Thanatos: Justified Genocide
9. Heaven & Hell: The Devil You Know
8. Amorphis: Skyforger
7. Dawn of Azazel: Relentless
6. Seance: Awakening of the Gods
5. Cauldron: Chained to the Nite
4. Goatwhore: Carving Out the Eyes of God
3. God Dethroned: Passiondale
2. Razor of Occam: Homage to Martyrs
1. Destroyer 666: Defiance

Again, the Top 10 has not changed, but I want to look at some different albums from 2009.

BARONESS: BLUE RECORD
I originally avoided Baroness. I had heard that Baroness was basically Mastodon, and I have not been nearly as impressed with Mastodon's material since Blood Mountain. However I heard some decent songs off the Baroness album, coupled with the fact that it was Decibel's Album of the Year, and eventually decided it was time to pick it up. I am glad that I did. This is a very good album. Though I am not the biggest fan of the recent surge in sludge/doom metal acts, much preferring the original sludge artists such as Eyehategod and Acid Bath, I do admit the songs on this thing are damn catchy. I am not yet sure whether I will continue to check out Baroness, but they got my attention.

COBALT: GIN
Cobalt was the subject of an awful lot of hype leading up to this album. The American black metal band had switched up their sound a little bit for this release, going with a more all-encompassing sound on this release. This is not a simple black metal album. It has elements of punk, rock, and sludge metal. Then there is the fact that vocalist/guitarist Phil McSorley was stationed in Iraq as a U.S. Army scout which adds an intriguing element to the band's music. This is an incredible album that is not like any other black metal album from the U.S. or anywhere else for that matter.

MEGADETH: ENDGAME
Well, since I covered Metallica's sort-of-return-to-form for 2008, I figured I should cover Megadeth's here. Of the two, Megadeth's was far closer to their early glory days. This actually sounds like thrash metal and all of the characteristics that made Megadeth stand out are present. Fast riffs, check. Amazing guitar solos, check. Snarling vocals, check. Angry, political lyrics, check. Love him or hate him, you have to admit that Dave Mustaine is one hell of a guitarist and that shows here. Ultimately, I prefer this album to Metallica's most recent.

NAPALM DEATH: TIME WAITS FOR NO SLAVE
Napalm Death keeps doing what Napalm Death does. And that is put out album after album of furious death/grind every 18 months or so. I have always been a fan of vocalist Barney Greenway, and although I prefer his work with Benediction, his ferocious roar sounds great with the crushing and grinding riffs of Napalm Death. I have in the last few months become a much bigger fan of this band and admit that this is one of their best albums I have heard.

SUFFOCATION: BLOOD OATH
Suffocation had a hand in the creation of several subgenres of death metal from slam to brutal death to deathcore. Their own music exists on a bit more of the brutal death side of things although there have been many bands that are clearly more brutal now. However, Suffocation still puts out great albums and though brutal still remain listenable. Suffocation has never had to change their musical formula and still remain as powerful now as they did on their debut.

Initial Impressions: Cobalt: Gin

Yes! Finally some new music!

That's Ernest Hemingway on the cover of this thing. One of the biggest badasses in American literature. Seriously.

Anyway on to a little backstory about this band. Cobalt made huge waves with this album last year. The album was rated #5 on the year by Decibel. But, the band itself is very interesting. The main songwriter for the band wrote much of the album while serving active duty in the U.S. Army. He has appeared on a couple of talk shows to discuss this.

Despite all this, Cobalt plays black metal. It's a bit more of an Americanized style of black metal, with elements of Xasthur, Wolves in the Throne Room, and others. It's a very organic sound, not just hyper-blasting drums and riffs. There are some definite post-rock moments and some progressive structures included as well. The band probably sounds closest to Nachtmystium, without some of the psychedelic meanderings.

The second track gets off to a very slow start, but is quite good when it gets going. Many of the rest of the songs are slower, riff-driven, sludgy songs with raspy vocals. There is a hidden track behind several 10-second tracks of silence. I'm not totally sure why bands continue to do this, but oh well.

This is an interesting, complex album. It may take a few listens to fully absorb the album, but I like what I am hearing so far.