Band:	Black Cobra
Album:	Invernal
Style:	Sludge metal
Release date:	October 11, 2011
Guest review by:	The Brown Umber

01. Avalanche
02. Somnae Tenebrae
03. Corrosion Fields
04. The Crimson Blade
05. Beyond
06. Erebus Dawn
07. Abyss
08. Obliteration

Ah yes Black Cobra. I remember hearing about these guys before, but never really bothered with them until I saw them live. The show was so great that I decided to get their new album Inveral. With the recent show in my mind, I was quite excited to hear this album, and to tell the truth I was a little disappointed. Did I enjoy the album? Hell yes I did. Did I think it was fantastic? The answer to that is unfortunately no. The album has a good feel to get the blood flowing at the beginning, but it just fails to keep my attention all the way through.

The first song starts out strong and beats away at the listener, like a freight train is pounding you in the chest. But, getting pounded in the chest by a freight train gets a bit tedious after a while. The songs all began to meld together and there is not really anything to separate them and make them stand out too much from one another. They keep using the same rhythmic style and riff over and over again with a slight deviation or short melody. I even noticed this at the show. They were full of energy and had a fantastic performance, but near the end I started to get a little bored and lose my focus. However, there are some nice groovy bits to break up the monotony of being smacked in the face by a minotaur, and these help me regain my focus.

The good thing is the heaviness and the riffs are great, and even if the same style is used too much there is no denying it is fun to listen to. Overall, a decent album that can get a bit repetitive, but give it a try if you are a fan of sludge. Oh and SEE THEM LIVE.