Kobra And The Lotus have returned with their latest album Prevail II. This is the second component of their double album with Prevail I released in 2017. The past eight years of their existence have involved the band experimenting to create the right sound, Prevail II appears to be their best work to date.
The release of a two-part album initially sets out Kobra And The Lotus from the crowd as it is not commonly seen among this genre. Writing twenty-one songs in the same writing period is a great achievement – that is, as long as the tracks are of a high quality. The tracks that have been released prior to the album, including Losing My Humanity, have been well received by their fans, and it’s a powerful beginning to Prevail II. The track contains influences from a number of genres; Paige’s melodic metal style vocals are accompanied by heavily distorted guitars. Oriental feel scalic melodies are present in the bridge of the track and are then echoed in Paige’s vocal melody line.
Let Me Love You continues the heavy undertone with added pop influences; the lyrics and chord progressions feel like they would easily be interpreted into a pop song. The tracks on this album have an interesting vibe merging the heavy metal genre with song writing styles that could easily be performed in different genres. The acoustic interlude Ribe, adds another variation to the album by greatly contrasting the two previous tracks. It clearly displays Jasio Kulakowski’s talent as a guitarist but feels somewhat strangely placed in the tracklist. The interlude might fit better in the track order in the mid-end section of the album. This being said, it segues effectively into the following track My Immortal. An echoing “hey” finishes the interlude and then features in the chorus of My Immortal. Another genre is thrown into the mix with an a capella segment, with Paige’s staccato, harmonised vocals creating an effective accompaniment to her vocal line layered over the top.
Kobra And The Lotus have taken a risk by including of a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain. A major risk with covering a track like The Chain is that it has been done in many ways in many times before. Their reworking of the instrumentation creates an atmospheric backdrop to the heavy guitar rhythms and recognisable melodies. Paige’s powerful vocals support the powerful instrumentation. The sudden change to a capella for the final section of the track certainly adds a unique twist to their interpretation. The solo melody line done through Paige’s vocals makes their version unique. Whether omitting of the greatly known guitar solo will be well received by fans of the original is uncertain. Despite their interesting interpretation, the track just feels very short; covering only the first verse and chorus. It feels like a sudden cut-off – they could have continued reworking the instrumentation through the full length of the track.
Kobra And The Lotus have grown with their song writing and their sound over the past eight years. Prevail II clearly shows this through their genre mixing and experimentation, and the cover of The Chain is an interesting one that reveals a brand-new imagining of the track. For them, the release of a double album appears to be a success.
8/10
For fans of: Leaves’ Eyes, Warlock, The Deafening
Words by Holly Royle
‘Prevail II’ by Kobra And The Lotus is out now on Napalm Records.
