Interview:	COBRA SPELL
Title:	Outcry of rebellion

It's simply sensational what these fervent girls do! Full-on melodic Sleaze Rock is the band's thing, and Cobra Spell come across so 80s strong that their eagerly awaited debut album "666" immediately makes you forget the time since then.

Band leader Sonia Anubis and her bandmates let their passions run riot so wonderfully that it's amazing how good this style can still sound today.

Sonia reveals that she not only knows exactly what she wants when it comes to songwriting and lead guitar.

Congrats for your debut album "666" - it took a time, isn't it? But the result is worth any waiting, I proclaim, it brings one of the most listenable and naughty albums out of the last decade.

„Many thanks for the nice words about ‚666‘! It did take a while indeed. We took our time to craft this album. We believe the best things come with time, so we did!“

Five headstrong, determined and individually thinking women in one band - how good are the chances that your line-up will remain constant for the next years?

„I don’t like to make promises, because we are all individuals and we change with the time. Change is normal and human. At the moment, the current formation is fantastic! The best hard-working team in the history of Cobra Spell, so far. And I hope we can continue making dreams come true together as long as possible.“

I enjoy surprising catchy new compositions with so many (guitar)harmonic, hitting and headbang-able moments; fitting arranged, too, I immediately love it, also the vocals fit perfect to the sound itself - how do you rate the new album itself compared EPs and Singles?

„I don’t like to rate my own music. But I can definitely state that the album is, by far, way better composition-wise and production-wise than the EP’s.“

The outstanding playful style of Cobra Spell consists of classic Heavy Metal, Heavy Rock, Hard Rock, Melodic Rock, 80s AOR, even Blues Rock, etc. etc. - highly original, very self-reliable sounding and very of it's own; how did arose and ripened the whole?

„The identity of Cobra Spell’s sound and aesthetic is deeply influenced by the 80s due to the huge passion and obsession that I have for this decade. The band sounds this way because I listen to a lot of this music for many years and I think that this fact is automatically left a mark on my song-writing and composition. As for the aesthetic of the band, we decide to mix the 80s Rock / Heavy Metal vixen look with a personal touch depending on each band member. Overall we look very glam and quite wild.“

You and Noelle deliver truly top-notch to sensational guitar works, seems you practised like ridden by demons to create such outputs for „666“ …

„We both love our instrument, and take our musical performances seriously. We want our music to sound good and therefor we practise what we can to deliver! The months before going to the recording studio, is the moment I practise the most. It’s specially necessary because, I don’t know why, every time the songs that I compose become a lot more technically challenging and I need to step up my playing game. I grab that metronome and get to it. Crafting an album and recording it at the studio is definitely a great challenge to take if you want to become a better musician! Everything has to be tight in the recordings.“

Please bring the readers closer to the main lyrical content of „666“ - genre-connoisseurs know anyway when they read the song titles ...

„The album mostly speaks about my personal life experiences and state of mind. Women empowerment, open sexual expression as woman, rebellion against organised religion that is opposed to a life with full freedom of expression, LGTBQ+ support, romance/love.“

Does „666“ even have a special, clearly female liberation message at the end?

„‚666‘ is a number that is mentioned as the number of the devil. The devil has always seen as everything that is bad and evil. As for having this meaning, it can be used as a sign of opposition and rebellion. The evil energy/meaning that the sign has is used as a metaphor to to construct a cultural narrative promoting a free life in personal autonomy - in this case as a woman. It can be used as a sign of rebellion and opposition against that what limits our freedom of being. This album is an act of rebellion against the social values and legal restrictions that cause gender inequality, a scream for freedom of expression. Such as a fight to destigmatize sexual expression for the female gender.“

What do you experience, feel and sense most painfully within yourself when you see on television/internet/social media how humanity seems to be getting physically and psychologically sicker and sicker, and in the process the relationship between man and woman seems to be getting more and more strained and more and more difficult - although after millennia of learning we should actually know so much better?

„It’s a profound sense of disappointment and concern. It's disheartening to see these issues persist despite the progress we should have made over millennia in understanding and addressing them. It reinforces the importance of continuous efforts to improve and promote healthier relationships between genders.“

Are there any things, books, movies, etc. that can/have influenced you as a musician?

„I have been mainly influenced by the Rock bands in the 80s. But I also use a lot of Pinterest to find the correct colours and vibes to have the perfect aesthetics for the band’s music videos for example.“

Who out of Cobra Spell did the lion's share of the new song material?

„I have to say that I did the lion's share of the new song material in Cobra Spell as the arrangements, song-writing, money investments, organisation, etc is all on my hands. However, I want to emphasise that our entire band worked together to refine and bring those ideas to life, and I'm grateful for their contributions and support throughout the process. It's truly a team effort, and I couldn't have done it without them.“

How did your collaboration for the new work go - any - smaller - difficulties experienced, caused by the multiple bases as Netherlands, Brazil, Spain?

„We are all residing in Spain besides Noelle, she lives in Germany. So we aren’t actually that far away from each other. As for the new work, the songwriting and composition is mainly done by myself at home, but in the cases that I have involved Kristina and Noelle we either did it at my home or through a video call!“

How was the selection of songs for „666“ done - was it difficult or rather easy for the band?

„Rather easy.“

What is the o-n-e song with the most meaning for you on the new album and why?

„The song ‚Fly Away‘ speaks about a real aunt of mine that I was named after - her name is ‚Sonia‘, she took her own life before I was born. Her death is a matter that is not spoken and talked about in my family. This song was written to honour her instead of let her be forgotten. Many questions arise about her, since nobody talks about her, and this song speaks about wishing that I knew her.“

Cobra Spell was formed in 2019, one year before the pandemic - nearly everything has changed since Covid: the world, the music business, the societies - how much have you changed, how much have your views on true art changed now?

„In the time of Covid, I had stayed a lot at home and focused more on work instead of going out. It made me realise how much faster I can get stuff done as long as I focus myself on it enough. It made me very much productive. It was also a reminder of how important live concerts are for us musicians to interact with our audience. Covid avoided this kind of interaction.“

Anything you would like to add?

„Many thanks for having me on your interview! Stay super tuned to our upcoming new album ‚666‘, to be released on the 1st of December through Napalm Records. We have a lot of awesome merchandise and physical copies available. But the music will also be available on all major streaming platforms to listen! Make sure to check our current and upcoming music video’s on YouTube and for many new live concert dates to be announced. A big thanks to all of our amazing supporters in Germany! Stay wild!“

© Markus Eck, 30.10.2023

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