Cobra Skulls – Bringing The War Home

Cobra Skulls are an intriguing band. They have a unique sound to them, propelled by the vocal chords of Devin Peralta, deliver songs at a fast, mixed tempo and seem to be loved in the scene. But something was always missing. I mean, American Rubicon was alright but didn’t quite live up to all the hype surrounding it. Their live show kicked them higher up in my book but they still fell short when compared to their accolades.

Their five song Fat Wreck debut felt the same way at the start. After a few spins, nothing stood out other than Give You Nothing. Each time the tune came on, my attention was pulled into focus and I said to myself “man, this has a solid Bad Religion vibe going on.” Flash forward five minutes and – facepalm – it’s a Bad Religion cover song from the Germs of Perfection tribute. That’s why it sounds like them.

Sadly, that’s all that stood out; the best song was a cover song – a sure-fire sign of a dud.

The past few days, Cobra Skulls have once again pushed themselves up in my eyes simply because I gave them more of a chance.

While fixing my computer, I had Bringing The War Home on repeat all afternoon. At just twelve minutes, it played through more times than I can count and by the end, it was sinking in; and Give You Nothingwas no longer the highlight.

For you see, Bringing The War Home is a catchy political punk album that just takes a few listens to sink in and settle in. A tight, mixed tempo punk sound with unique guitar riffs that no other band around tries. I previously described Peralta’s vocals as a mix between Nick 13 and pop-punk ala Teenagebottle Rocket variety and that remains an accurate description.  Lyrically, they’re political poignant without simplistic usage of slogans. This means you get songs like Ice On Night about the I.C.E.’s inherent racism in it’s immigration tactics and Hot Sand, a two and a half minute, bass lead anthem about the war for oil and the “rich kids”’ ignorance of it all.

Doomsday Parade is the easy highlight of the EP. Fast paced, varied instrumentation (including a fantastic horn section in the bridge), the best vocal delivery of the five songs and just a unbelievable great hook –Doomsday Parade has everything. However, it’s written so well that all the little intricacies won’t be apparent on the first listen but instead seep in the more and more you listen to it.

It may only be five songs and twelve minutes, but Cobra Skulls use that time to their advantage. Plus, any longer than that – I may not have given it the time it needed it to grow on me; so once again, less is more.