Calgary’s Kobra in Session at Metalworks Studios
By Greg Godovitz (Producer)
I've recently returned from a second mixing session at Metalworks Studios for the debut album, Out of the Pit, from the Calgary-based group Kobra and the Lotus. I was given the group's demo by a music biz insider just after I moved to Calgary in 2008. I was struck immediately by something completely unique; a hard rock group with classical and operatic overtones in their music. We recorded the basic tracks and overdubs for four months at a small local studio, but everyone involved quickly realized that a world-class studio was needed for the mix. Having worked at Metalworks many times over the years, it was a no-brainer in choosing that particular venue to tart things up.
Metalworks’ head engineer Christopher Crerar and his assistant Lake Curry proved to be the right guys for the job, and worked overtime to bring the tracks to life. It only took a matter of hours before the three of us hit a groove that would carry through the entire mixing process, and the group and management were thrilled with the results.
Kobra and the Lotus are a five-piece group (two guitars, bass and drums) featuring an amazing young vocalist in Brittany Paige, who comes equipped with a four-octave range and a rock and roll banshee wail that would do a young Geddy Lee proud. My old friend Rik Emmett was kind enough to lend his fretboard skills to a cover of the Motorhead classic Ace Of Spades. The other ten tracks are all group originals.
And the sound? A female Iron Maiden meets Bat Out Of Hell. The songs are epic in scope and head bangers around the world are in for a treat. Next we master at Sterling Sound in New York with mastering legend Ted Jensen.
I can hardly wait to begin the second record. And next time we will record entirely at Metalworks.
