Review Summary: Better than Gin.
For some reason, black metal and death metal are often misunderstood as well as mixed up. They often share similar traits of aggression and feel but they are extremely different in what they ultimately convey. Black metal tends to focus more on an emotional goal or concept while death metal usually blends powerful riffs in a more concessive nature for the sake of brutality and dominance. While either of these traits can occasionally transcend into either genre, the dominating factors are usually unmistakable and
Cobalt clearly play off the black metal field while utilizing various traits of the death metal genre to drive their music forward. Their second LP “Eater of Birds” shows their greatest moments, an obvious step up in the songwriting department that “War Metal” lacked as well as the latest “Gin”.
The level of power and emotion that “Eater of Birds” displays is greatly superior to anything they have done. A clear distinction arises when you hear forced riffs and even riffs that loose there impact from a poor mood switch on “Gin”. While “Gin” is still one solid word of an album it dances a little on the generic line where you sometimes might say “did they make that song just for the sake of making a song” or “did I feel the impact of what they were trying to convey”. “Eater of Birds” never enters those territories. Every track is powerful and full of emotion even when the title track repeats the same riffs for around what seems like 5 minutes. The drums support the title track and they realize in order for that riff to fully impact the listener they need to really impress it. Some variability comes with you hear the breathing of an exhausted individual taken over what is left of the songs layers. This eminent focus on emotion is what
Cobalt is all about. They prefer to do whatever is necessary to get the listener focused and dedicated. Rather than starting the album off with in your face black metal, they choose to cleverly make use of dissonant wind effects and a droning bass-synth underlaying a pounding tom-riff on the drums without form. Various dynamic techniques in the writing department are plus, especially when some of the earlier distorted riffs in “When Serpents *Return” breaks a chugging mold for a harmonious lead line before falling back into the chug’s continuance.
Cobalt also makes use of Erik Wunder’s drums very well where he can be found effectively using tom sections to give an elevating impression and the break the expected double bass and blast beats. Vocalist and guitarist Phil McSorley also lends an excellent hand with solid distorted riffs and even occasional folk-like cleans such as the ones found in the instrumental “Ritual Use of Fire”; an extremely dark laced interlude that sometimes falls into a-tonic harmonies.
The production that these two sole band member’s chose to go with is well fitting since there not the type of black metal band that plays an atmospheric style. The sound is more up front rather hazy; more present than abstract. However there is just enough reverb and leveling that allows this to be enjoyed at extremely high decibel levels. Every tom hit, every riff, and every cymbal clash is perfectly balanced out to the point of even being considered a blue print to what this style of black metal is capable of. When the closing of “Blood Eagle Sacrifice” comes about, the repeating, building multiple layers of simultaneous double bass, cymbal smacks, snare pops, and reining vocals never sound overbearing.
“Eater of Birds” clocks in at just over an hour’s length and unless you have dedicated a little time aside this could be a tedious listen. Most tracks are very cohesive and they can purposely drag on to get a point across, which in turn could be interpreted as unnecessary if time isn’t allotted. The 5 minute filler “Ritual of Fire” is an acoustic track that uses a zone-like guitar patterns that circles around a few chords and “Androids, Automations, and Nihilists” is a folk track that is completely mellow. It drones for several moments in doom-like tempo fashion. These examples can be taken as tiresome if the whole picture of the album isn’t looked at. These moments, although lengthy, are essential to the feel the album conveys as a whole and many softer parts fuse quite well into heavier parts. When the emotional values are fully analyzed any length issues should be fully rectified from understanding. You wouldn’t want to have endless aggression without showing its other sides. No person is always pissed off all the time. When they’re not actually destroying things they usually sit in turmoil or depression and that’s what
Cobalt does best; they know how to rest and back off when needed so that the extremes are more absorbable; being a strong element in what makes “Eater of Birds” succeed. These Americans are doing black metal right and could use a little recognition in the music community for this fantastic display of emotion which is “Eater of Birds”.
