...in the Shadows Below

I first encountered this Seattle-based doom duo via their "The Black Sun" debut ep in 2015 and I have been quite the fan ever since. Comprising husband and wife team of bassist and vocalist Amy Tung and drummer, Jon Barrysmith, Year of the Cobra are a unique voice in the world of doom metal. Of course they are influenced by the usual suspects, such as Saint Vitus, Sabbath et al, but they eschew the use of guitars, relying on Amy's bass riffs to power the songs. Her bass playing reminds me quite often of Geezer Butler's classic Sabbath style, which oftentimes lends it a psychedelic and bluesy edge, planting Year of the Cobra firmly in the stoner doom camp. Vocally, she mainly uses a languid and breathy style that is laid-back and seductive like a nightclub jazz songstress, check out opener "Lion and the Unicorn" for a prime example. That isn't her only play, however, and she can also project more force when the need arises.

There are a number of pitfalls with having such a bare bones set-up of course, the tendency to fall into repetitive and hypnotic trance-like pieces for one, or just producing very basic, lo-fi garage metal with a heavy punk influence is another scenario. YotC fall into neither of these traps, however, thanks to an ability to write really nice doomy bass riffs which enable them to produce actual songs rather than just drawn-out jams, which are at once melodic and reasonably memorable, with an admirable variation in tempos and styles, from the longer, hulking, conventional doom tracks, through the psych-inflected catchiness of "Spider and the Fly", the punky vitality and urgency of "Persephone" and doom'n'roll of "Temple of Apollo" to bluesy jams such as closer "Electric Warrior". I think the bass lines are multi-tracked quite often, which also allows Amy's playing to become more expansive. Drummer Johannes is every bit as important to the success of the duo, his impeccable timekeeping obviously underpinning the tracks, but also his busy, jazzy style, again referencing Sabbath and drummer Bill Ward's love of jazz drummers, provides plenty to hold the the listener's attention and to engage with.

In conclusion, I think "...in the Shadows Below" is a great example of how much can be accomplished in the doom and stoner sphere by creative minds, even with the most basic of set-ups. Considering that, apart from a bit of multi-tracking, this is truly just drum, bass, and voice, the resulting variety, melodicism and memorability is an impressive feat of artistic endeavour.

Duos consisting of a bassist and drummer are getting to be more common in the world of stoner doom, but Seattle’s Year of the Cobra does a pretty good job of setting themselves apart. While many of their peers seem content with OM-style navel gazing, the group pairs their amp worship with a decidedly more song-oriented approach. Their first full-length album is an excellent primer for this sort of style, given some extra room to work coming off 2015’s The Black Sun EP.

While Year of the Cobra’s setup is pretty bare bones, …In the Shadows Below puts forth a lot of song variety. Tracks like the opening “Lion and the Unicorn” put in the expected drawn out fuzz, but others like “Vision of Three” and “White Wizard” explore more subdued riff work. I also appreciate the more straightforward groove on “The Siege” and “Temple of Apollo” puts in a more punk flavor with its faster pace and catchy vocal hooks.

It also helps that the band members know how to fill out their sound while still keeping things natural. Amy Tung Barrysmith’s bass is inevitably the driving focus and sometimes given some extra layers to play with, but her voice sits fairly prominent in the mix and delivers plenty of pleasant lines. Johanes Barrysmith’s drums also stand out for their busy patterns, setting up a sturdy foundation and ironically serving as the band’s true bottom end during the bass’s more elaborate segments.

What you see is what you get when it comes to Year of the Cobra, but their first album has plenty to offer. The meat and potatoes aspects of their style can make them easy to overlook compared to flashier groups, but a combination of great varied songwriting and powerful chemistry makes them one of the best bass-drums duos currently active. These traits would arguably be put to even better use on 2019’s Ash and Dust, but …In the Shadows Below is just as worthy of your time.

Highlights:
“The Siege”
“Vision of Three”
“White Wizard”
“Temple of Apollo”