UMUR "Gin" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US, Colorado based post black metal act Cobalt. "Gin" was released in March 2009 by Profound Lore. I was pretty thrilled about their last studio album "Eater of Birds (2007)" but the 2008 "Landfill Breastmilk Beast" EP left me rather disappointed and with an uncertain feeling of how future releases would sound, so Gin is supposed to be the album that repairs my relationship with Cobalt.

The music on "Gin" fortunately continues down the post black metal path of "Eater of Birds" and develops that style further. There are still loads of raw black metal parts and caustic raspy vocals on the album but the post metal elements that were already a part of the soundscape on "Eater of Birds" have become even more prominant on "Gin". A track like "Dry Body" fully embraces post metal. It contains chanting vocals and tribal drumming. There are many great features on this album like the high compositional quality and excellent production but the thing I enjoy most about "Gin" is actually the drumming by Erik Wunder. He is such a skilled drummer and his busy drumming keeps the songs exciting throughout. Cobalt is a two-piece act so in addition to handling the drumming in superior style Erik Wunder also handles vocals, bass and guitar. His companion Phil McSorley handles vocals and guitar. Jarboe (Swans) guests on a couple of tracks too.

So all in all "Gin" certainly repairs my relationship with Cobalt but like the case was with "Eater of Birds" I still don´t think "Gin" deserves a full 4 star rating. A 3.5 will do for now. I won´t rule out the possibility that "Gin" will grow on me further though so I might upgrade my rating to 4 stars sometime in the future. No matter what the rating is "Gin" is a great album and the post metal and black metal blend works really well for the band and provides them with a unique sound.

UMUR "Eater of Birds" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US post black metal act Cobalt. The album was released by Profound Lore Records in July 2007. There is also a 2xLP version available which was released through Garden of Exile and which is limited to 500 copies (both black and yellow coloured versions). The band´s debut album "War Metal (2005)" was a professionally produced black metal album with classic heavy metal leanings. A decent release allthough it didn´t impress me beyond standard enjoyment. "Eater of Birds" is a vastly different album and introduces a post element to Cobalt´s sound.

The music on the album is post black metal. A term that could mean many things but here´s an explanation: The basis of the music is simple old school black metal. Raspy vocals ( low in the mix) blasting drums and a level of aggression and cold atmosphere that not many other genres can rival. Add to that some mid-paced traditional heavy metal riffs (which are much fewer and far between than on "War Metal") and then the new element in Cobalt´s sound which is the addition of post metal elements. The latter style really makes the music on "Eater of Birds" stand out as something special IMO and it´s those elements that make this release more intriguing than "War Metal". The sheer aggression of the black metal parts are enjoyable too but the mix of the that genre with the repetitive and at times almost tribal-like post metal parts is a succes. The album is very long though and at 70 minutes I find it too long. Cobalt could have cut a few songs which would have made the album more accessible. It´s the kind of album that takes a while to digest. There are some songs on the album that helps to give the listener breathing space between the harsh and aggressive "main" songs. The three "Ritual Use of Fire" tracks which are spread out on the album are great atmospheric pieces and "Androids, Automatons and Nihilists" also works as a nice breather.

The musicianship is excellent. Cobalt is a two-piece act consisting of Erik Wunder on Drums, Vocals, Bass and Guitar and Phil McSorley on Vocals and Guitar. So the instrumentation on the album is very raw and basic. While there are no virtuoso parts being played on the album Erik Wunder and Phil McSorley are certainly capable musicians anyway. There´s an intense conviction in the things that are played that is admirable.

The production is powerful. But it´s a harsh sound that I find hard to endure for 70 minutes straight. It´s a matter of taste though as there is nothing wrong with the quality of the production.

I´m a bit biased about "Eater of Birds" because on one hand I find the album greatly enjoyable but on the other hand there are some flaws that means it´s not excellent throughout the full 70 minutes of playing time. So my rating ends on a 3.5 star rating with the possibility that I will upgrade it to a full 4 sometime in the future. Cobalt´s development in style is really promising and I find "Eater of Birds" a recommendable purchase.

UMUR "War Metal" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Greeley, Colorado based black metal act Cobalt. The album was released in April 2005 by From Beyond Productions. "War Metal" was already recorded in May 2003 at Hellion Studio though. Cobalt is a two-piece act consisting of Erik Wunder on Drums, Vocals, Bass and Guitar and Phil McSorley on Vocals and Guitar.

The music on "War Metal" is pretty straight forward black metal with blasting drums, raspy vocals and distorted guitars. There are lots of more traditional heavy metal elements on the album too though and it´s especially when the pace is slowed down a bit that some groove and melody appear. The musicianship on the album is excellent. I´m especially fond of the drumming on the album which is tight and furiously fast played. The songwriting and the riffs are of pretty standard quality though and I could have wished for a more experimental or original approach. The production is not your typical thin high end black metal sound. The sound is fat, full and pretty brutal and that´s something that pleases an old death metal fan like myself. A very succesful production to these ears.

While there´s certainly room for improvement, "War Metal" is a pretty enjoyable black metal release and I´d say a 3 star rating is warranted.

UMUR "Landfill Breastmilk Beast" is an EP release by US post black metal act Cobalt. The EP was released by Profound Lore Records in June 2008.

The EP consists of three tracks and has a total playing time of 44 minutes. The first two tracks "Stomach" and "Extinction" are in the post black metal style of the band´s last album "Eater of Birds (2007)" while the last track, the 29:31 minutes long "Ritual Use of Fire" is a long ambient sound experiment piece. The latter was recorded solely by vocalist/ guitarist Phil McSorley. While the two first tracks are very enjoyable, aggressive and well composed I´m very disappointed by "Ritual Use of Fire". For someone like me that track is a complete waste of time and I actually find myself a bit offended that almost 30 minutes out of 44 minutes on the EP are occupied by nothing but experimental ambient sounds. I had hoped for a long progressive post black metal track.

The production is professional and powerful.

"Landfill Breastmilk Beast" started out as a 3.5 star EP for me but after listening to "Ritual Use of Fire" my rating has dropped to a 2 star rating. Maybe other people can enjoy this piece of sound experimentation, but I call it a bad excuse for not having enough proper material to put on the EP. It could have been so good but ended up a disappointment.

Conor Fynes 'Gin' - Cobalt (6/10)

Ever wonder what Tool would sound like if they were black metal? No? Me neither, but in any case, Colorado black metal duo Cobalt appears to answer that question for us. A band that has received quite a bit of fanfare within the metal underground, I discovered Cobalt through their record label Profound Lore; a company that has hosted some of my favourite contemporary metal acts. There is no denying that the band has received some huge acclaim for their so-called unique sound in black metal, but after having experienced their third album 'Gin', I find myself somewhat disappointed. Although a good album by all accounts, it has not been such a revelation of extreme metal as it was made out to be.

Although certainly rooted first and foremost within the realm of black metal, there is more in 'Gin' going on than mere tremolo picking and blastbeats. Instead, black metal is only the foundation, and here is where I can see why Cobalt may have received the accolades it did for the record. Although not a unique sound for metal necessarily, it does do something special for black metal in particular, resting on some meeting point of black, sludge, and groove metal. The end result is something that sounds very much like Tool, so if you are into that band and the rawer variety of black metal, Cobalt will be a gold mine.

Most of the songs feature typical black metal rasps, as well as sludgy riffs and some excellent drumwork from Erik Wunder. The duo does get the concept of a groove down well, but once again, things do sound a little too deja-vu regarding the Tool comparison. The greatest tracks here may be the first two, of which the second 'Dry Body' seeks to completely absolve the black leanings for a track that one wouldn't find out of place on an Isis album. At over an hour in length, these same tricks that Cobalt keep pulling out throughout the course of the record can wear tiresome, but the atmosphere and sludgy goodness is always kept in check.

A good album, although I do not believe that it is a record that is quite as original or spectacular as the hype made it out to be.