Album Review: Kobra and the Lotus – Out Of The Pit

Title: Out Of The Pit
Artist: Kobra and the Lotus
Label: Sonic Unyon
Release Date: 9 March 2010
In One Word: Meh

Sometime last year a 4-track promo sampler from Calgary, AB’s Kobra and the Lotus landed in the Music Vice mailbox, and with the release this March of the band’s debut album Out Of The Pit, I’m a little bit surprised by the final product. That sampler pointed more in the direction of a Nightwish style sound, the kind of opera-tinged power metal you hear with this album’s last track “Legend”, but what we have here sounds much more like 80’s heavy metal – and indeed the first riff on opener “It’s Yours” sounds VERY similar to early Metallica. Metallica of the And Justice/Master of Puppets period is the good era of the band to borrow from but when the whole album reeks of that sound it quickly becomes tiresome. Iron Maiden is an influence here too – but take these Metallica and Maiden references with a pinch, nay a cup, of salt, because the actual sound is a long way off from the calibre of either of those band. It’s not bad at all, but its just not that interesting either… even the “Ace Of Spades” cover is pretty meh.

There is a lack of originality and little variation in the guitar riffs or drumming, the lyrics are wholly forgettable and barely even register, while the waling high-pitched snarl of Brittany Paige wears thin pretty fast. If you’ve just woken from a coma after 25 years asleep then this may be worth you’re consideration, but, coma-victim mullet heads aside (you know who you are), most people will find very little of interest here.

© Brian Banks, Music Vice

Related info:
Kobra and the Lotus are playing tonight, 11 March, at Neutral in Toronto as part of Canadian Music Week.

Tags: Kobra and the Lotus

This entry was posted on March 11, 2010 at 4:55 pm and is filed under Album Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.