Kobra and the Lotus - High Priestess
Kobra and the Lotus – CD Review
High Priestess
CD Info
2014
Titan Media
10 Tracks
English Lyrics
9/10
Kobra and the Lotus’ High Priestess album made my Top 10 releases of 2014, so I wanted to submit a full review in time for its first anniversary. It’s a great heavy metal album -- with soaring vocals, melodic riffs, and pounding rhythms -- and is easily the band’s best release to date.
New to this album are guitarist Jasio Kulakowski and bassist Brad Kennedy, and they really give vocalist Kobra Paige the musical foundation that her vocals have always deserved. Kobra told Sonic Cathedral in an interview that her first metal inspiration was Judas Priest, and that shows in this album. High Priestess has a classic metal sound with one significant addition – modern double-bass drums, which I love and which really add to the intensity of the music.
Kobra and the Lotus made a dramatic World War II video for the single “Soldier,” and that song definitely gives a good feel for the album. It features Kobra’s powerful Maiden-like vocals, a relentless beat, excellent riffing, and dramatic lyrics about a soldier whose compassion gets him killed: “Holding his destiny inside my hands. With my gun I am crushing his dreams … I walk away. Is there a consequence for this decision I've made? Feeling a sting in my back, I fall questioning what my compassion has done.”
Other songs on the album are even better. Perhaps my favorite is the powerful and melodic “Heartbeat,” which makes especially good use of double bass drums as Kobra sings about environmental disaster: “I hear the calling of a heartbeat. Aching from what we have done to this earth. Silence a symphony of beauty. Taking its life, sacrificed for rebirth.”
Another standout song is the title track, “High Priestess,” about the intriguing character on the album’s cover. It’s no wonder the band chose this energetic song to open their set on last summer’s tour with KISS and Def Leppard. I had the chance to catch that show at a 21,000-person venue in San Diego and immediately understood why Gene Simmons counts himself among the band’s fans. You can see photos from that tour here, captured by Sonic Cathedral’s Jim Wilkinson.
Other excellent High Priestess songs from the band’s live set include “Battle of Wrath,” “I Am, I Am,” and “Lost in the Shadows.” “Battle of Wrath” is an driving battlefield anthem. “I Am, I Am” is another high energy song, about the darkness inside that can lead us to destruction. By contrast, “Lost in the Shadows” is a beautiful power ballad that showcases Kobra’s deep melodic vocals alongside some really lovely guitar. It’s a must-listen and is an excellent close to the album.
If you somehow missed High Priestess last year, now is a great time to pick it up! For fans of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, or FFM bands like Huntress and Sister Sin. Overall rating 9 out of 10.
You can learn more about Kobra and the Lotus on their Facebook and website. They will soon be touring the UK and Europe and are definitely worth checking out.
