Night Cobra - Dawn Of The Serpent - CD SLIPCASE

Night Cobra are a relatively new metal band from Houston in Texas, consisting of Christian Larson (vocals), Brandon Barger (guitar), Bill Fool (guitar), Trevi Biles (bass) and Cheech (drums). Singer Christian Larson sheds some light on the early days of the group: "We have spent the last couple of years working on the band's sound and artistic style. We really wanted to have everything dialed in before we started playing and released any music. Last year we were gearing up to release the EP in the spring before Covid hit but with no urgency we spent a little extra time getting it the way we wanted. After that we spend the last eight months writing and recording the new record."

Mentioned EP was called "Praise Of The Shadow" and it led to a contract with High Roller Records. For the resulting full-length album "Dawn Of The Serpent" none of the EP tracks were used, as the singer explains: "With music being digitally released everyone has had a chance to hear the songs already or can find them easily online. We didn't see any point in rehashing the past. Also I do think we progressed in our song writing and style."

"At the very core it's heavy metal, but there is a lot of different influences that make it not just your basic heavy metal record," says Christian Larson about the new songs. "It's not a concept record but a lot of the songs are based on the dystopian future it looks like earth is headed for, and there is a lot of influence from Sci-Fi. The song 'Run The Blade' is inspired by the movie "Blade Runner". I am happy with how the "Dawn Of The Serpent" turned out. I would say it's more about the songs as a collective than any one in particular, but a couple of standout ones are: 'The Serpent's Kiss', 'In Mortal Danger' and 'Run The Blade'."

Listening to "Dawn Of The Serpent" one could get the impression that Night
Cobra are a lot more European-sounding than their origin would suggest. In how far have European bands, and also the NWOBHM with groups like Angel Witch or Desolation Angels, been an influence on Night Cobra's sound? "Your ears don't deceive you," states Christian. "I would say a lot of the influence comes from European bands. Angel Witch is high up there on the influences along with Mercyful Fate and early Iron Maiden etc."