Customer Reviews

Chronomega

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow. Black Cobra keeps getting tighter and tighter. For two guys these guys produce hellish sounds.

Some subtle development in Landrian's vocals is apparent throughout. Not so much in the beginning - opener "Negative Reversal" keeps it pretty straightforward - but the echo on the title track gives his voice an early-`90s Ministry vibe and there's some melody creeping into "Catalyst" that shows some definite growth. It's in there if you listen for it.

Still, and although closer "Nefarian Triangle" is indeed a worthy addition, I can't help but feel like Black Cobra could have said everything they needed to say with Chronomega in half an hour. The album is just over 38 minutes, and it wouldn't seem to make much of a difference, but for a band for whom tightness of execution is so central, I'd almost rather be left wanting more than have too much. Not to harp on Slayer comparisons, because despite similarities in approach the two have very little in common sonically other than playing fast, but Reign in Blood was 28:25, and while I wouldn't want the task of having to cut one of the songs from Chronomega (okay, you can take "Lightning in His Hand"), Black Cobra are almost doing themselves a disservice by having too much on the album. The tracks blend together rather than highlight their differences.

Nonetheless, Black Cobra once again show why they deserve to be at the forefront of this generation of metallers, and given the amount of road time they put in, there's nothing saying they can't get there. Their live show is unstoppable, and as with Bestial and Feather and Stone, all the ingredients are present on Chronomega, it's just the songwriting that needs to be more memorable. For now, they're still kicking ass, even if their methodology for doing so is starting to show some wear and tear.

I saw Black Cobra open for High on Fire in Baltimore. Never having heard of Black Cobra, I decided to not find out what they sound like prior to the show. When I saw ONLY 2 guys come out on stage, I thought to myself, "Great. This is going to be another boring 45 minutes of delay before High on Fire come out."

I was just trying to make sense of their style in the first song and by the second song, I was caught up in it, headbanging and appreciating every chord.

For a few months after the show I still didn't buy any of their products, BUT I COULD NOT GET THEM OUT OF MY HEAD.

So, I added Chronomega to my Amazon wish list, still stupidly making it a low priority item. Luckily, my wife looked at my wish list and picked up for me for Christmas.

True story: since Christmas, I listened to this CD every chance I got, over and over and over. Bought the rest of their stuff, including the 7" vinyl. Put 3 CDs of their stuff in my car, put it on my iPhone, put it on my laptop. It's been 7 months now and I am still listening to this CD and the others constantly, neglecting everything else on my shelf, with the occasional insertion of Justin Broadrick material and Slayer. I CANNOT stop listening to Black Cobra.

Chronomega is such a phenomenal product. I cannot understand why a previous reviewer would tag it a negative for being too long. Dude, this is short for a stoner album! You would be overwhelmed by Sleep's legendary Dopesmoker track (a 63+ minute song). Stoner albums can never be too long!!

The guitar work by Landrian is amazing, hitting rhythmic lows while injecting dynamic mids and highs with remarkable skill (reminding me of Robert Johnson's similar ability to do so), generating heavy intense song after heavy intense song, and by intense I mean Reign in Blood levels of intensity. Rafael Martinez deserves a huge amount of credit for making this album feel so full, supplying percussion and sound so there are no awkward absences of the Black Cobra machine. Acid King lost a treasure when he left them.

My first favorite song was Lightning In His Hand. How in the world a previous reviewer would have picked this song to not be included is simply retarded. At 3:40 in, the song cranks up a juggernaut of sound that cannot be ignored and runs roughshod over any other thoughts you may have been having. The following song Storm Shadow is just a blitzkrieg of energy, peaking at seconds 47 through 58, these 11 seconds being the climax of the entire album.

Chronosphere, the 4th song, is a stop-where-you-are-close-your-eyes-and-bang-your-head song. Aesthetically, I personally would have just swapped the order of the 3rd song, Catalyst, with this song. For me, the album flows better with these two swapped in order.

The album kicks off with Negative Reversal, inundating you with what you will come to know as the unmistakable sound that is Black Cobra. Hearing this song live is what I could not get out of my head so many months ago.

The only thing I have heard in a real long time that could challenge Chronomega is the song Ruined by Justin Broadrick's Jesu project, a song that will one day be recognized as unprecedented and never to be surpassed.

Long-time metal fans who thought they heard it all need to check this band out. The drumming and guitar are TIGHT (the live act is equally as tight), and they need to be to pull off all of the syncopated, driving rhythms in this album. The guitar work features angular riffs in Eastern-sounding modes that never seem to get old on each listen. Think Sleep with a speed metal time signature. The vocals are good enough; they don't get in the way of the music and aren't the annoying screeches or grunts that make some otherwise great metal acts barely listenable.