A powerful force is brewing in Seattle, and we are not talking about Starbucks. Year of the Cobra is releasing their self-titled LP on February 28, 2025, and the heavy sound will sweep you away. This duo (Vocalist, Bassist, Keyboardist Amy Tung Barrysmith, and Drummer Jon Barrysmith) is releasing intense Metal music with oppressive bass riffs that sound amazing. It is as if the god of doom has come down to the world with this new collection.
Looking back, Year of the Cobra has been releasing music to define their genre of Doom-infused Heavy Metal since 2015. With 2025 being their ten-year anniversary, they have decided to release a self-titled LP with eight tracks. The new music is similar to their previous releases but touts some refined songwriting skills and crisp audio from Vocalist Amy Tung Barrysmith. The album is released under Prophecy Productions, a record label from Temecula, CA, known for its prolific catalog of gothic and heavy metal musicians releasing consistently.
As a whole, this album feels like a journey with the Vikings across hallowed grounds. This could be from the first track, “Full Sails,” which creates an intense seafaring atmosphere with its wispy lyrics, or the way the drums crash like waves against the bass chords, which underline the song. Year of the Cobra uses their music to create fabulist stories that span across myth and lore.
In each of their past releases, their attention to detail shines through. They can turn a five-minute song into a story or myth that transports the listener to a different time and place entirely. This transformative process is the philosophy of the musicians who focus on creating melodically melancholic atmospheres in their songs. There is an appeal to the audience in these songs, and in their place is an invitation to interact, go full sail, and embark on a journey with the musicians as they unveil the next steps of their journey.
Something else interesting about this duo is their instrumentation. Between the two of them are a drum set, some intense female vocals, and a low-wave bass guitar. There are no electric guitars, keys, or horns to accompany their sound or create harmony. This stripped-back approach allows the three distinct elements of their craft to shine. Amy Tung Barrysmith uses her bass guitar to guide each song along; it is the backbone, and she plays in repetitive 3/3 time signatures that gallop forward. For the best experience of this style, listen to “Alone.” The drums and bass combine into one driving force that explodes in little bursts throughout the song before returning back to its refined dredging beat.
Furthermore, Amy Tung Barrysmith’s vocals and lyrics are not the most important part of this Seattle duo. Many Heavy Metal bands utilize the alto sounds of a female singer to juxtapose the dark trance of the instrumentation, and Year of the Cobra is no different in this regard. What this truly means is that the band is up to snuff with any of the other vocalists in the genre; there are no songs or segments of this LP with lyricism that fall short or feel out of place. Amy Tung Barrysmith is meant to be where she is; this is not a fluke or microtrend within the scene. She knows her voice and how to use it to create bone-chilling sounds that complement the bass playing and drumming of her songs.
This leads to the refreshing feeling of Year of the Cobra that comes with this band’s unique themes and genre. There is no need for a gimmicky dedication to a specific image or creed in every single release by this band. Too many musicians in the Metal genre feel obligated to stick with one image, whether it be religious debauchery, hedonism, or the grim reaper. It feels contrived and unnecessary, especially when the music is not good enough to be listened to without the fanatic themes and imagery.
Everyone is a sucker for some gothic crosses and bloody skulls on pikes, but when that becomes the drawing point of a band instead of their music, something has gone wrong. For Year of the Cobra, this is absolutely not the case. They definitely have some fantasy and fabulist themes and enjoy speaking of death and melancholy, but it is not what defines them. Instead, they define themselves and let the images fall into place afterward.
Year of the Cobra is another step in the career of a duo that has created an important and well-defined Heavy Metal scene in Seattle. More importantly, they have done so through their musical talent rather than aesthetics or actions. Their talent is the driving force behind the success that they will gain in the years to come. For this reason, CrypticRock gives Year of the Cobra 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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