We managed to miss covering not one, but TWO, releases from Slower featuring vocalist/bassist Amy Tung Barrysmith. So, in regards to new music from Amy going forward, we vow this: NEVER AGAIN! Unless there’s a month where ATB releases, like, 4 different projects in which case we’ll try really hard to cover them all. Anyway! This all brings us up to date and today’s review featuring the upcoming new full-length, and first in almost six years, from Year Of The Cobra!
Opener “Full Sails” alone is worth the price of admission as this gargantuan monolith lumbers across a massive soundscape manifested by vocalist/bassist Amy Tung Barrysmith and drummer Jon Barrysmith with the fuzz levels turned up to 11 while “War Drop” goes big on the Groove as the rhythmic synchronicity from the Barrysmith’s locks in on this mover and shaker.
“Daemonium” goes bigger and badder as Amy adopts a pixie-like presence behind the mic which serves as an interesting dichotomy to the thunderous throttling that’s happening instrumentally with “Alone” bringing a different kind of percussive thundering and a tumultuous rumbling which heralds the oncoming sonic storm as Amy croons.
“7 Years” supplies a hefty bounce with Jon’s crushing drumming building into a gnarly layered chorus that’s practically a Heavy hymnal and “The Darkness” changes tones and tempos on this mysterious thumper with fuzzed out bass lines and ethereal vocals that are intercut by meticulously crafted blasts of bombast in the drumming department.
“Sleep” gets its’ Doom on from the get go and comes out of the Sabbath school of Loud for a cross between early Clutch (Think Self-Titled sophomore songs), earlier Black Sabbath (Especially Master of Reality and Vol. 4), and Dio’s return for the Heaven & Hell group of old school BS vets in 2009 before “Prayer” closes out YOTC’s latest on a haunting, sacred note that’s as tender as it is tense for this epic finale.
Year Of The Cobra arrives on February 28th through Prophecy Productions and you can get yours when you pre-order or pre-save here. For all the rest on Year Of The Cobra, head on over to the information superhighway and click here or here.