Sweet Cobra
Praise
8.3
If nothing else, Chicago’s Sweet Cobra should be congratulated for recording something easily distinguishable. Ever read a certain magazine that has a monthly section where an artist listens to five or so albums and has to guess who he or she is listening to? The artist often gets confused, listing seven bands within the first sentence, and there’s a reason why; metal is an increasingly homogenized genre. That’s why listening to an album like Praise is so refreshing.
When I read a live review detailing a show Sweet Cobra played with Pelican, I knew I was in for something different. I just didn’t expect them to have hairy, sweaty balls, but that’s exactly what they prove with Praise’s High on Fire meets Raging Speedhorn at a surf metal show vibe. There is no one way to describe the band. There’s a pervasive hardcore aesthetic with the crashing, chaotic, and, dare I say, sweet drum sound, but there’s also some extremely groovy riffs that hint at the surf metal tag. Best of all, there’s absolutely no fucking around here. Don’t worry about pretentiously long songs that wear out their welcome, because Sweet Cobra goes straight for the throat with this release, and even on slower songs like “River of Crimson,” the melody sustains throughout and the riffs change often enough to keep the song’s texture shifting appropriately.
If groove is an essential part of your metal diet, you best take more than a mildly interested glance at this release. Nine songs and not one of them worth cutting. Hypnotic hardcore, riff-driven mayhem courtesy of one of Chicago’s finest! I command you, bow down and Praise.
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Sweet CobraForever
10/30/2007