Cobalt

Cobalt is a black metal band from the United States, active since 2003, and led by Phil McSorley and Erik Wunder. The group is associated with the US black metal scene and is known for a sound that moves through black metal, rawer forms of the style, and more progressive or avant-garde approaches.

Career

The band begins with the Hammerfight EP, followed by its debut album War Metal, which is issued on Displeased Records. That record establishes a brutal, raw approach, while the second album, Eater of Birds, develops the band’s style further and is recorded at Flatline Audio with production by Dave Otero. Eater of Birds includes guest appearances by Jarboe of Swans on “Invincible Sun” and “Androids, Automatons, and Nihilists”.

The third album, Gin, is released in 2009 and broadens the band’s audience. In 2014, Phil McSorley leaves the group, and Charlie Fell takes over vocals. The fourth album, Slow Forever, appears in 2016 as a double album running for nearly eighty-four minutes in its CD edition.

Style and reputation

Cobalt is described as a progressive black metal act with a violent, chaotic and avant-garde edge, and their music is also linked to sludge metal and to the influence of bands such as Neurosis and Swans. Their work is noted for ambitious song structures and a shifting, exploratory approach within black metal.

Discography

EPs: Hammerfight (2003), Landfill Breastmilk Beast (2008)

Albums: War Metal (2005), Eater of Birds (2007), Gin (2009), Slow Forever (2016)