Not – more’s the pity – the same Black Cobra sporting the deadly ex-Cavity/16 duo, but a wholly different kettle of fish featuring folks who’ve served within the dark ranks of Ire and the Black Hand. Given this pedigree one might be forgiven for expecting something metallic and doom-laden heralding its arrival with the beating of leathery wings; instead we’re served some stodgy, gloomy hardcore along the lines of Born Dead Icons or From Ashes Rise that putters along politely but ultimately fails to ignite. There’s little to really complain about, but it’s all so darn pedestrian – from the way the riffs are boshed out to the so-so Venom cover – that there’s no real reason to spin the fucker more than a handful of times before moving on. Word has it that they’re now called Cobra Noir and have plenty lined up ahead of them, but, at this present moment in time this snake just ain’t biting whichever way you shake it.
