Was it really a whole five years since Bay Area two piece Black Cobra launched the slab of rage that is ‘Invernal’? Flipping over the CD case and having a quick look tells me that it is. Well, by not exactly hurrying to produce the follow up ‘Imperium Simulacra’ the duo of Rafa Martinez and Jason Landrian have allowed their anger to ferment and mature into the far more nuanced, but no less aggressive songs that they now present.
‘Challenger Deep’ starts the fireworks with a beast of a riff to pummel the listener, the knockout blow being landed by the drum battering of Martinez; the recording sessions must have destroyed enough sticks to level an area of the rain forest the size of Belgium (Belgium, which as everybody knows, is the standard unit of deforestation)! This sonic assault continues unabated with the title track ‘Imperium Simulacra’, although not all is an unsubtle attack, time changes throwing industrial and punk textures to the hardcore battering. Initially slower, but no less heavy, ‘Fathoms Below’ starts with a sound as deep and dark as the sludge of the oceanic depths that the song title describes, before guitarist/vocalist Landrian delivers the lyrics with a bark that would shake even Mat Pike awake after a heavy “relaxation” session. Indeed, with their massive enveloping sound there should well be a ready audience for Black Cobra amongst High on Fire devotees, and a show with those two acts together on one bill would be pretty much guaranteed to wreck necks and make ears bleed.
The fury of the album proceeds apace with ‘Eye Amongst The Blind’, a track that throws a simple but perfectly timed solo on top of the riff, the aggression bleeding through into ‘The Messenger’ before the punk sprint of ‘Obsolete’, a sub three minute number that positively screams of spiked hair, studded jackets, and stomping Doc Martens. In stark contrast ‘Dark Shine’ opens with a psychedelic strumming that is equal parts Doors and Jefferson Airplane before the brown acid kicks in and the track takes on a far starker stoner journey to the blackest reaches of space where the only light is black and hope is just a distant memory. Stretching the song to the near eight minute mark allows the band to explore their dark creation with multiple time changes, a menacing solo weaving through hypnotic riffs and doom laden drums that punctuate their stock in trade frantic playing.
With ‘Imperium Simulacra’ Black Cobra have released an album that is in many ways more easily accessible than ‘Invernal’, and album that finished with the primal scream of ‘Obliteration’. However, time has not dulled their edge, rather allowed them to develop a new variety of ways to give vent to their ire. Landrian’s vocals have developed from a hoarse growl into more of the commanding shout favoured by Tommy Victor, whilst musically they have introduced new layers and influences into the mix. Whilst I have made a lot of the power and aggressiveness of the album, each track has its own identity, and with repeated listening more and more distinctive tones and sounds can be found. This is an album that has both an immediate impact, and will also grow over time.
(8/10 Spenny)
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