Cobra The Impaler - Full Send Zine

Cobra The Impaler formed in 2020 and following the release of a string of singles dropped their debut album in 2022. After some incendiary gigs, they’re back with a new record entitled Karma Collision – bigger, bolder and harder than ever before. They are a ‘makeshift’ prog supergroup of members from Aborted, Megadeth, Soilwork, Von Detta, Bear, and Almighty Mighty who come together to reinvent the sound of old Mastodon. This has been done before, of course, with Audioslave, A Perfect Circle and many others, but not, quite like this.

This is quality stoner metal with layer upon layer of sumptuous guitar duelling, thundering drums (from Dirk Verbeuren) and raw, energised vocals by Manuel Remmerie. This is a masterclass in modern metal and if you thought their debut was fire, then you’re in for an even bigger surprise here.

‘Magnetic Hex’ kicks things off splendidly with menacing vocals and a tight ass production of modern rock excellence. ‘Godless Beyonder’s’ guitars swirl around like Pantera on coke with a paen to the norse gods. The vocals are melodic through the whole experience which may enamour them to a wider audience outside of the pantheon’s of metal. ‘Season of the Savage’ is glorious. ‘Fear the beast that wears the crown, unholy season, seems to be we’re here without a reason’ wails Remmerie over perfectly stacked guitars. ‘Eye of the storm’ opens like a theme song from a 70s serial killer movie. You can picture Gacy polishing his mask before causally popping out into the world to remove another life.

Title track ‘Karma Collision’ prods us back to familiar territory and is laced with great fretwork and harmonised vocals. It is a thing of beauty. ‘My Inferno’ is like the three way bastard son of Iron Maiden, Lemmy and Ozzy Osbourne conceived on a dark, dark night as the fires lapped against the window pain of the terrorised incumbent. Filthy, filthy animals! ‘The Fountain’ is probably the sound that the band originally set out to make with its prog leanings and definitely in the spirit of Mastodon. By comparison, ‘The Message’ is furious and features the great couplet; ‘Follow the demon receiver, shadow the evil conceiver’. “Assassins of the Vision’ is stoner metal of the highest order created on a desert highway at midnight as the dark encircles the lonely and leaves them panting and running of their lives in the wilderness.

FORMED AS A MAKESHIFT 'PROG' GROUP, COBRA THE IMPALER RETURN AS A WHOLE NEW BEAST TO UNLEASH THE BIGGEST METAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR...