Review | Cobra Spell – 666

Napalm Records

Switching to an all-female line-up Cobra Spell took shape in 2022 and stunned the masses with their highly infectious single ,,Flaming Heart”. This song in mind, their brand-new album `666’ comes as no surprise as it is comprised on the same hook-laden melodic hard rock, with the emphasis on melodic arrangements and glam-metal signatures, packed with heavy metal accolades.

GUITAR WORK

The title track is a short snippet that sets the right tone, reminiscent to the pushing opening of House of Lords’ debut, it opens perfectly for the melodic ,,S.E.X” that stands tall with Sonia Anubis’ wonderful guitar playing. Nesting riffs and melodies, rich in tone and technical delivery, her guitarwork is absolutely wonderful. The solo is classic, doubling down on its melody, gradually building into its piercing register, all adding to the urging pulse of the song. Moans bring the song to its climax, obviously. 

More ominous paced ,,Satan is a Woman” rolls forward. Pressing its pace, the song features a ton of guitar whirls and notes making it shine colorful. Slightly Dio-tinged, the song is colored by Kristina Vega who displays great tone of voice. She belts in melodic register as well as with lower powerful hauls, leaning on the melodic delivery. The chorus, like all on this album, is nesting and instantly affective, on the verge of cliché. The multi-vocal layer is somewhat childish, but ads to the song and playfulness of Cobra Spell’s new direction. 

DEF LEPPARD ATTITUDE

Supporting Anubis’ solos and wonderful guitar discharge, rhythm guitarist Nelle dos Anjos brings the right rhythmic offload to the front. Both thrive on one another. The powerful groove is effective, with Hale Naptha’s drumming being powerful and resonating in classic hard rock style while Roxy Herrera ads low intrinsic playing, with some riff-reminiscent ploughs. 

,,Hotline 666” is another short intro that puts ,,Bad Girl Now” into action. A strutting track with multi-vocal interaction adding to the poise of the swagger-laden strut. It has a Def Leppard attitude on display, but restrains from the overly dubbing, making it transparent. The rousing outcalls are 80s time stamped and the guitars pull forward accordingly. 

Another note-dazzling fretboard salvo is fired upon us, with narrated vocals and tongue-in-cheek rapped towards the reverted solo escapade from Anubis and dos Anjos. ,,Devil Inside Me” pushes down the pedal to the metal with a memorable swirling hook and riff. The thrive is tremendous and Vega belts out a great epic register that borders with classic power metal’s finest. The melody is striking and the rousing outcalls zesty. Great tune!

HIGHLY MELODIC

Going all melodic, Cobra Spell brings the subtle AOR-ish ,,Fly Away” with pulsing bass and colorful guitar picking. Vocal interaction is key and Vega touches her warmest register with soul and appeal, quite regularly touching a Cher-reminiscent tone. Sonia’s guitar lick meanders over the song like a drone, high pitched. The song develops with psychedelic kaleidoscopic wonder into another great solo but it is the bass’ low-end pulse that gives the song its laurels. 

,,Love = Love” must be the first song in history featuring the ‘equal’-sign. The song itself is nesting on the spot, highly melodic, great hooks and licks, slightly dramatic in guitars, parading bass with droning pulse. All parameters of a melodic hammer are met, and the (bridge to) chorus is downright magnificent. Even a saxophone come to the front, hello Adrenalin (band)… Predictable; YES! Awesome: of course!

EXPLICIT LYRICS

Pressing the foot down again, ,,Love Crime” is howled into action by Vega over a great metallic riff and hook. The power is pressing and Vega belts out high notes fluently adding to Anubis’ piercing fretboard swirls. There’s vigour, there is poise, making the song blend the band’s melodic accolades with power metal. The bridge and chorus are rousing, bass powerful underneath the piercing arpeggios. The song almost fluent leads into the ponderous opening of ,,Warrior from Hell” with its piercing guitar swirls and heavy groove. 

Keyboards added in droning persona and Vega gradually builds her appeal as singer. Wide range, she belts out serious powerhouse accolades as well as pitching high when needed. Arousing low howls ad sexiness to the song’s strut. This parading strut is maintained on ,,You’re a Cheater”, with its explicit lyrics. The guitar melody is wonderful and contradicts to the song’s tenure making it work well. There’s tension build and the girls display their stride in the vocal harmonies. 

COBRA SPELL – THE CONCLUSION

Unleashing a piercing guitar melody morphing into a solo, ,,High on Love” makes `666’ go out with a bang. Cliché-packed, melodic thrusted by an intricate guitar swirling and insanely melodic vocal lines, the song transcends in the melodic rock genre. There’s glam amidst the hard rocking pretences. It is instantly recognizable melodically and packs a bluesy note. Rousing with chants, the song sums up Cobra Spell’s great musical aspirations.

`666’ is the first strike of Anubis’ Cobra Spell. The all-female act blends melodic music with a metal stride and delivers a wonderful poise of melodic rock to the front. The musical interaction is great all over and the signature of the melodies is absolutely great. Most astounding is Anubis’ guitarwork, making the album shine brighter than any. Cobra Spell walks a fine line and occasionally crosses the boundaries of clichés, but I can only guess it is done intentionally as it brings forward something recognizable and special being delivered by this talented quintet. 

Note: discard their cliché outfits and bland logo + album art – `666’ is one for the charts…. And what’s with that trident Sonia?!

Release date: 1 December 2023