Cobra Tattoo

Say what you like about this kind of music: its oddities are its charm. Alpha Drone has become a main focus of its sole creator in the last few years and, to be this prolific, the music needs to remain interesting. Previously, AD songs and albums have been composed of a mush of ambient drone, black metal, and avant-garde stuff like samples and narrative that can be ingested as a sort of extreme music baby food. Granted, the baby food contains the glass and razorblades relevant to a bedroom black metal production, but that was sort of the charm. For latest single 'Cobra Tattoo' to be touted as a vastly improved version, a certain measure of scepticism comes into the equation, not least because of that strangely modish title.

Fortunately, the goalposts haven't moved too far from something like the Moon Ballads EP, except that now minor percussive elements are here to interrupt some of the dreaminess of that release. The levels remain a bit messed up, mids-heavy guitar slashing at the listener during the slower opening, while the proper black metal that rounds things off puts the blastbeats way down deep so as to barely be identifiable as such. However, it's the opening guitar motif that gets to me, coming across like a jangly hippie rock idea initially, before the subtle moans of vocals slow it down into something more charged and resonant. Kudos goes to AD for conjuring a mood that I actually can't put my finger on, even though some of the roars of vocals/noise alter that mood into a seasick Burzum.

I can't absolutely say that I agree 'Cobra Tattoo' is the pinnacle of AD's efforts so far, especially not in this brief form, but if the project continues to develop in this direction, I can see myself getting on board with what's to come. If the titles revert to their original intriguing style too, so much the better. Come here expecting something unfamiliar and you might be satisfied too.