DOS COBROS - “Misadventures in Dystopia”

By Dark Starr

When I reviewed a previous set from this act, I landed it under heavy metal, but said that with the amount of punk in the mix, it could almost have fit elsewhere. Well, this one is under metal, but this time, it comes close to prog rock. That's because the space rock elements that showed up on the other set are even more prominent here. This has plenty of art rock, too. Yet, it still pulls in lots of metal and industrial. You even get some hip hop and other things. This is so creative and genre-bending. It's also very strong. In fact, it made my "best of 2021" list. The packaging is unusual, too, with the CD encased in a sleeve that appears to be a floppy disc, complete with the actual "disc" part.

"Initiation (A Space Wolf Tale)" pounds in quite metallic, but it also has a driving space rock concept at play. It definitely makes me think of HAWKWIND. It gets rather industrial and quite intense before it's over. Yet, it also modulates into mellower, spacey keyboard dominated stuff. "No Hope (A Black Phillip Tale)" is another with both space rock and metal in the mix. It also has plenty of industrial sound and even some hip hop tendencies. It is artsy and creative. It's also dark and strangely catchy.

"Simonsaze (Rebellion Mix)" isn't a huge change, but it really drives with so much style. It has some hints of things like BEASTIE BOYS at times, but is driving powerhouse art rock at its core. A driving, metal stomper is on the menu as "The Perfect Game (A Slender Man Tale)" gets underway. It is a spooky and cool tune.

A driving rocker "X's In Our Eyes (Native Mix)" has plenty of space rock in the mix. It is almost dance oriented in some ways, too. "Ubuntu (Insomnia Mix)" comes next, and fast-paced jamming is on the menu. It has a real artsy, space rock concept at play. It's another powerhouse.

The keyboard textures on "Stand Up (An Agent 002 Tale)" really do make it feel like James Bond music. The song is a driving, artsy space rock type number. It's also one of the most effective cuts on this disc. "Secrets (Hectic Mix)" makes me think of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE a lot. The cut has some driving keyboards that bring another angle. It's frantic and so cool.

DOS COBROS