The last release from this Colorado black metal duo, War Metal, was a fairly standard, and for Profound Lore average release of blackened, well….war metal. However with the follow up, Eater of Birds, Cobalt have made a Nachtmystium like transition from generic grim black metal to expansive, challenging, ambient and elite black metal and once again show that Profound Lore should be considered a very elite label at whatever they release.

I’d thought that Deathspell Omega’s newest album was un-fuck-with-able for this year’s best black metal release , but along with Wolves In the Throne Room’s Two Hunters and this, Deathspell Omega have some company for that title.

This is black metal for black metal aficionados with an open mind as to what black metal should be. Two Mid Western yanks, (one recently sent off to war) delivering an often awe inspiring mix of tremolo filled fury and malevolently intelligent musical depth, doom and atmospheres with no need for spikes, cloaks or corpse paint.

Clocking in at over an hour, with lengthy songs and appropriately placed interludes (“Ritual use of Fire”, pts 1, 2 and 3, “Androids, Automations and Nihilists”), and two appearances from the enigmatic Jarboe, Eater of Birds is grimly epic and caustically deep. Starting with the percussive build of “When Serpents Return” then careening into a furious northern hyperstorm that’s acidic yet perfectly rendered with bite and clarity, Eater of Birds is simply amazing.

Through its interludes and varied moody yet militant tracks like “Ulcerism” and appropriately titled “Witherer”, to the utterly epic 10-minute tracks “Invisible Sun” (featuring Jarboe) and closing title track, the album morphs, shifts, sneers and cuts a swathe of brilliance with each track. Not quite as chaotic as Deathspell Omega, but certainly Nachtmystium’s Instinct: Decay is a viable comparison.

Sure to be an underappreciated, un-hyped release, Eater of Birds deserves the ear of discerning black metal fans and should elevate the band to the same status of their US based peers in the black metal realm.

[Visit the band's website]

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