Cobra 1981 – Debut single 40 years in the making

Single – Vanha Kuoma

Release 13th December

Review by Linda McDermott

Now I’m one for taking my time to get things right, so if a band tells me it’s taken them over 40 years to release their first single I’m hoping for great things when I listen to it.

Cobra 1981(the number referring to the year the band was formed) comes from the Finnish town of Kuortane. The metal rock band, formed over four decades ago, and its members, now in their sixties, recently surprised fans by unveiling their debut single. Now steeped in experience and having had plenty of time to hone the direction they want to take their music in, the musicians have harnessed their accumulated skills to craft a sound that resonates with metal fans everywhere.

The band’s late entry into the world of singles has generated considerable anticipation among both loyal followers and new listeners. With a wealth of experience underpinning their creative endeavours, this Finnish metal rock band appears poised ready to demonstrate that age is no barrier in the world of music whatever the genre.

The band’s line-up consists of all the founding members with a couple of new recruitments of which the youngest just celebrated his 50th birthday.

Cobra 1981: Asko Ylinen – Vocals Juha Sippola – Guitar & Backing vocals Jukka Laitila – Guitar Reijo Hakola – Bass & Backing vocals Seppo Patteri – Drums

The debut single serves as a tantalising preview, featuring a powerful metal rock composition starting with Seppo underpinning the track with a rhythmic drum beat that is built on by Reijo’s low baseline and then by Juha and Jukka playing the next tier of the music with riveting guitar riffs that get more impressive as the song progresses. The music propels the track along and with the distinctive vocals from Asko, the song builds to its conclusion.

“Vanha Kuoma” is a story about a sea captain who in his darkest moment leans into his most precious treasure and his best friend – the ship. But the sea is merciless, and the captain cannot escape his destiny.

Unfortunately for me the lyrics aren’t in English, however, if this isn’t an issue for you, the vocals and the musical arrangement work perfectly together, making the track worthy of a listen.

Now that the band have got the bit between their teeth and released this debut single, there’s no stopping them as they plan to release a debut album next year. This album will be a mix of the songs they have written and include some that are 40 years old and some more recent compositions that will take you on a journey through their time together as a band.

You can download the single from all the usual streaming platforms.

They have just started an account on Instagram that you can support and follow as they build their profile.