Album Review: Cobra Skulls “Eat Your Babies” re-release [2005]
review by Ricky Frankel
Band: Cobra Skulls
Album: Eat Your Babies (2005 Recordings)
Label: Red Scare Industries (originally self-released)
Score: 7/10
Like a phoenix from the ashes, Cobra Skulls reappear every so often to release something hidden within their discography or to play a festival or two. In 2015, fans had the chance to get the band’s Live At The BBC 7-inch on Record Store Day and in 2018 many (including me) made the trip out to Las Vegas to see them perform at one of the Punk Rock Bowling club shows. Others, if I’m not mistaken, got see them perform at Riot Fest that same year — and that was about it for a while. Since then, the band has been relatively silent. But this year, Cobra Skulls have risen once again and this time they have released a remastered version of their first record Eat Your Babies something that, unless you were at one of the very first shows, has been hard to come by since its original release in 2005.
Eat Your Babies is an important release because these ten tracks are where you hear the beginnings of what would become Cobra Skulls’ very original sound and lyrical style. The record starts out with the song “Cobra Skulls Broadcasting Co.” where the band incorporated the main part of the “I’m Mad As Hell” monologue from the movie Network. Once the song actually gets going you can immediately tell that Devin Peralta’s vocals are much “throatier” and harsher than what fans might be used to. And that part of his vocals stay pretty consistent through out all ten songs. “Cobra Skulls Revolution” is quite a gem. It is a perfect example of Cobra Skulls experimenting with their early style. It sticks out because of its drawn out introduction that has what later would be considered one of the band’s classic complex bass lines, which is mixed in with spooky guitar harmonics. It starts out slow and calm, but then Cobra Skulls kick it into high-gear with a forceful, distorted guitar taking over the bass’s riff along with blaring drums as well. “Cobra Skulls Lockdown” is a wonderfully classic Cobra Skulls tune — filled with choppy verses, smooth(er) and anthemic choruses, and of course, fierce and aggressive lead singing from Devin Peralta.
On the lyrical side, songs like “Donnie Rumsfelt My Cobra Skulls Ass” and “The Decider” are classic Bush-era punk tunes that act both as nostalgic period pieces and for those that are politically inclined, they are warnings from the band members to not let history repeat itself. It should be worth noting that the trio kept true to their political beliefs in their later songs, too. Through out their discography Cobra Skulls are always outspoken and consistently blunt about the politics and events of the 2000s.
For a first release, Eat Your Babies is a pretty remarkable start. It is the beginning of what would become Cobra Skulls’ very unique sound that fans would hear on the group’s following full-lengths. If you have just recently discovered Cobra Skulls, first of all, congratulations and welcome! But I would recommend that you to listen to the group’s proper full-lengths like Sitting Army and American Rubicon first, move on to their Fat Wreck Chords releases, and then come back to this. Again, this release is just the beginning, and a somewhat primitive form of what the band would grow into. Long-time Cobra Skulls fans who had not heard Eat Your Babies when it originally came out will most likely be fascinated by where the trio’s sound started and evolved from. For them, this is definitely something worth checking out immediately.
Ricky Frankel is the author of the book I’m Outta Here!: A Collection Of Interviews & Anecdotes From The Punk Scene (2014-2018), which you can find on Storenvy and Amazon.com.
—
About the Author
Denise Borders 39, Los Angeles. Denise founded PWV in 2008 and remains the primary manager and photographer/videographer. She is not secretly obsessed with Joey Cape.
Related Posts
Album Review: Hood Rats “Crime, Hysteria, And Useless Information” →
Album Review: Sum 41 “Heaven :x: Hell” →
Album Review: Bloodstains “Bloodstains” →
