It's been three years since Kobra And The Lotus' last studio album ‘High Priestess’ was released back in 2014. Since then the Canadians have completed multiple tours worldwide (with the likes of Kamelot, Sonata Arctica and Demon Hunter to name a few), and are now back with their fourth release. Only singer Kobra Paige is still there from the 2009 debut ‘Out of the Pit’, and I am amazed that I haven’t heard her prior to this album, as here is a singer with plenty of power and passion, very much like Doro. Musically this is a mix of traditional heavy metal with some power metal, while also at times slightly moving into symphonic, but they don’t stay on the last for too long.
This is all about punch guitars, great melodies and hooks, with some sublime singing over the top. Produced by Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Amaranthe, Epica etc) and mastered by Grammy award winning Ted Jensen, the sound is as strong as one would expect, and I actually found this to be a refreshing approach to the genre as here Kobra is very much part of the band, and not someone pushing herself to the forefront at the risk of taking away from the impact of the songs overall. ‘Prevail I’ is full of blistering guitars, pounding rhythms and haunting vocal melodies, and will be appreciated both by those who enjoy the more melodic side of metal and those who like the (much) heavier side of AOR. Apparently ‘Prevail II’ is going to be released in the near future, and I for one look forward to that with great anticipation as if it is as good as this it will be one to grab.
