Year of the Cobra– Ash and Dust
Review by Matthew Scherer
Let me first go on record saying that any day I get to listen to and review a brand new Year of the Cobra record is a pretty good day. At this point in their rapidly blossoming career the local two-piece have nicely settled into their signature sound which was established on 2016’s …In the Shadows Below and further refined on 2017’s Burn Your Dead. So even before hearing a single track on the new full length Ash and Dust (out November 1 on Prophecy records) I had the giddy expectation to be treated to their unique brand of psychedelic doom.
As soon as I fired up the first track “Battle of White Mountain” and that classic YotC sound came rumbling through my speakers, I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed. Led by Amy Tung’s trademark low-end bass rumble and Jon Barrysmith’s crushing rhythmic drum work, the opener is classic YotC. Amy’s crooning melodic vocals eventually glide in and I must say, it’s incredible how her strength as a vocalist just keeps getting better and better. Her otherworldly voice, which comes off like a mix of Chelsea Wolfe and Dorthia Cottrell, is really what pushes YotC from being a good band to being a great one. The second track “The Divine” sports a fun mid-tempo Sleep-style groove, while the title track harkens back to the Burn Your Dead EP with its punk rooted, Kyuss-inspired desert rock. “Demons” slows things back down as its thick, syrupy-like crawl and Amy’s eerie, reverb washed vocals sound like the backdrop to the carnival from hell. “Into the Fray” treads back into more familiar doom territory, while “At the Edge” gives Amy a chance to really show off her incredible vocals over some psychedelic sludge that recalls the best moments Kylesa ever gave us. Over the final two tracks “Dark Swan” hits hard with its Southern-fried crusty groove, while the finale “In Despair” literally strips everything else away as Amy’s deliberate and mournful vocals carry the listener off into the night.
Production-wise, everything sounds amazing here, which isn’t all that surprising given that the legendary Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Bruce Dickinson) was at the helm. He does the album justice by really capturing the heaviness of the instruments without making things muddy. Diversity in sound has always been YotC’s strong suit, but the incredible variety of styles on full display here is quite impressive as elements of doom, psychedelic, crust, post-punk, goth rock, sludge, and desert rock all make cameos. But even with all of the twists and turns, Ash and Dust always sounds like a fully connected and cohesive vision tethered by one of the best vocal performances I’ve ever heard. Even my high expectations were exceeded, making this one of the best heavy albums of 2019.
Pre-order the album here.
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