Cobra Spell: ‘Anthems of The Night’ EP

COBRA SPELL
ANTHEMS OF THE NIGHT EP
Released on March 31, 2022 (Cobra Spell)

Review:
I love when I hear a song from a band that I don’t know (or at least that I thought that I didn’t know — more on that later in this review) that gets me so excited that I end up purchasing their entire discography. This is what occurred when I heard Cobra Spell‘s new single “Addicted To The Night.” From the track’s opening chords to the fantastic vocals from singer Alexx Panza to the great melodies, I was hooked. I knew from the press release that I received that Cobra Spell were about to release a four-song EP Anthems of The Night so I checked out their website and the band had released a prior EP titled Love Venom. I purchased those two EPs very quickly and I have been listening to the Anthems of The Night EP ever since the CD arrived in the mail (old school baby!).

It’s only when I started writing this review and did a search of the band’s name on Sleaze Roxx‘s website that I realized that Sleaze Roxx writer Terry Martinson had already reviewed Cobra Spell‘s debut EP Love Venom. I always listen to at least one or two songs from an album reviewed by one of the many stellar Sleaze Roxx reviewers and I recall now that I although i found that the single “Poison Bite” from the debut EP was good, it didn’t blow me away. That cannot be said for the material on Cobra Spell‘s sophomore EP Anthems of The Night. It just feels like the band has taken it to another level with songs like the first track and the sublime “The Midnight Hour.” On those two tracks in particular, you have attitude, great hooks, well paced vocals, some great 80’s sounding guitar tones and melodies, and some blistering guitar solos. I really can’t ask anything more from these two tracks.

Unfortunately, although the next two songs “Steal My Heart Away” and “Accelerate” are still good, they just do not reach the excellence level displayed by the first two tracks on the Anthems of The Night EP. “Steal My Heart Away” is probably a little too poppy for my personal taste but still rocks and might well be the closest song to the 80’s heyday that you’ll have heard in a long time. “Accelerate” starts off with a cool guitar riff and some guitar soloing that reminds me of Diemonds‘ The Bad Pack era. Panda‘s screams during the song may well have you thinking of a young Michael Starr. I must say that I love the guitar melodies on the Anthems of The Night EP.  Former Burning Witches guitarist Sonia Anubis along with her sidekick Esmée Van Sinderen are simply on fire on this EP!

Speaking of Anubis, credit has to be given where credit is due. She apparently wrote all of the music on Cobra Spell‘s latest EP and I am so glad that she’s not with Burning Witches anymore and is forging her own path with the more 80’s sounding Cobra Spell. Although Cobra Spell have just released a killer EP and finished a run of European tour dates including Sweden’s Muskelrock Festival and the Full Metal Cruise IX, unfortunately not everyone in the band has the same vision as to where this can go. It was announced in late April 2022 that singer Alexx Panda had bowed out of the band to apparently focus on his day job and two other bands (Jack Starr’s Burning Starr and Hitten). Only time will tell if he made the right decision. Cobra Spell have already replaced their former male vocalist with a female one by the name of Kristina Vega who seems to have the vocal chops to fill Panda‘s lofty shoes. As if that wasn’t enough, Cobra Spell also announced on May 9th that they had parted ways with rhythm guitarist Esmée Van Sinderen and drummer Léonard Cakolli due to “personal indifferences” and their “vision does not align to the band’s and the speed rate that the band is evolving.”

This leaves only two women standing — Anubis and bassist Angelina Vehera — from the Cobra Spell line-up that unleashed the fantastic Anthems of The Night EP, which was only released back on March 31st! Whatever the case, the EP Anthems of The Night is one of the best albums of the year and it appears that the future is still very bright for the band. I am very excited to hear what Cobra Spell come up with next. If you want more info on Cobra Spell, check out Ruben Mosqueda‘s recent Sleaze Roxx interview with Anubis.

Track List:
01. Addicted To The Night
02. The Midnight Hour
03. Steal My Heart Away
04. Accelerate

Band Members:
Angelina Vehera – bass
Sonia Anubis – lead guitars
Alexx Panza – vocals
Esmée Van Sinderen – guitars
Léonard Cakolli – drums

Production:
Produced by Alejandro Gabasa Barcoj and Sonia Anubis
Mixed and mastered by Alejandro Gabasa Barcoj

Band Websites:
Official Website
Facebook
YouTube

Reviewed by Olivier for Sleaze Roxx, June 2022

Cobra Spell‘s “Addicted To The Night” video:

Cobra Spell‘s “The Midnight Hour” video:

Cobra Spell‘s “Steal Your Heart Away” single: