I have phases where my myriad interests take up more or less of my time. I had a couple of years where I was watching hardly any wrestling - now it's the major reason I use the internet. Music - specifically metal - has had similar times where I really care, and times where I maintain just a precursory interest.

I'm currently listening to a lot of new things, and relistening to a bunch of albums I didn't give enough time to over the past couple of years. I realised that I rarely discuss music here, but that I now wanted to a little, so I'm going to try to discuss new albums. Not everyone who reads this blog enjoys the music I do, but maybe occassionaly I can turn you on to something new.

Quite frankly, one reason I wanted to start doing this was because I've been walking around of late, listening to an album that I can't have on for more than a few minutes without thinking, "this is the best album I'll hear this year", and I really want to share it with as many others as possible. The band is called Cobalt, and the album is called "Gin".

A lot has been written in other reviews about the bands lead singer, who's day job is in the US army, serving in Baghdad. Whether his vocal performance on this album is because of his experiences or not concerns me very little. What does matter is that it is a remarkably intense contribution - listen to the him as he bellows, "burn me down, shoot me in the chest" at the end of "Arsonry" to get an idea. That's not to say it's one-dimensional; I liked his quieter bits as well.

The real appeal to me, however, is the music. They are black metal elements, but this is a truly progressive band in the blend of styles they expertly weave together. Take "Pregnant Insect", my favourite song on the album. There's the acoustic start launching into the huge punkish riff . There's tribal-sounding drums and there's Jarboe chanting, all built around the more stock hypnotic mid-paced section that typifies lots of progressive black metal bands. Other highlights include the more meditative "Dry Body" and the lenghty "Two Thumbed Fist". I also actively like the short instrumental pieces that link up the longer tracks, which can sometimes sound like filler or undeveloped ideas that didn't fit in elsewhere.

US black metal is pretty great these last few years, pushing forward a genre of music that can be very conservative . Last year there was Nachtmystium's "Assassins" and the previous year there was Wolves In the Throne Room's "Two Hunters". I think "Gin" may be better than them all.