Slow Forever

In the seven years since 2009’s *Gin*, the Colorado duo swapped half its lineup—ex-Lord Mantis frontman Charlie Fell is doing the snarling now—but that’s not all Cobalt changed. Once recognizably black metal, their harrowing sludge now wades waist-deep in gunk-encrusted hardcore, Tool’s open-spaced art-grunge, the sadistic nihilism of Swans, and even primal roots forms. “Hunt the Buffalo” and “Beast Whip” both open as lumberjack-shack blues, “Breath” shimmers like forest-folk Led Zeppelin, and the lone voice on “Iconoclast” is a sampled Ernest Hemingway.

After replacing their lead singer, the reborn metal duo Cobalt make their best-ever record, as accessible as it is aggressive, with magnetic hooks, shout-along mantras, and sparkling riffs.

After replacing their lead singer, the reborn metal duo Cobalt make their best-ever record, as accessible as it is aggressive, with magnetic hooks, shout-along mantras, and sparkling riffs.

Can a reconfigured Cobalt compete with their earlier works? You bet your ass they can.

Can a reconfigured Cobalt compete with their earlier works? You bet your ass they can.

A review of Slow Forever by Angry Metal Guy, available March 25th via Profound Lore Records.

A review of Slow Forever by Angry Metal Guy, available March 25th via Profound Lore Records.

Cobalt - Slow Forever review: A grimy homage to all things metal, devolved to its most primal and animalistic

Cobalt - Slow Forever review: A grimy homage to all things metal, devolved to its most primal and animalistic