In April, Cobalt frontman Erik Wunder spoke to us about the departure of Phil McSorely, vocalist of Cobalt, military lifer, and Fox News dream guest. Wunder divulged tantalizing info also about Slow Forever, the really-long-awaited follow-up to Gin (below), one of 2009’s awesome albums and a genre touchstone in waiting. Butttt what he was unable to discuss is what we perhaps most wanted to know: the identity of McSorely’s replacement. Who will be the voice of Cobalt’s new era, the one in which McSorely’s angry, fascist weirdness will no longer dominate the bands identity? And what is the new screamer’s role? Permanent member, contributor, or neither?

MetalSucks is now able to report that for Slow Forever, Wunder has enlisted a similarly ousted vocalist, another mercurial and weird one, one who totes a different kind but similar shitload of baggage. One who, like Wunder, is responsible for an early chapter in the history of extreme metal’s new epoch. It’s former Lord Mantis frontman Charlie Fell. We worship Fell’s creations with his former Lord Mantis bandmates, esp 2014’s Death Mask (below), and Wunder’s move shines a light on destructive vs. constructive madness. Sure, their new collaboration may yield its own share of drama, but the meeting of these two minds is a source for massive excitement. Holy shit can we hear the album right now please?

Death Mask by LORD MANTIS

Gin by COBALT

photo: Profound Lore Records

Cobalt’s forthcoming album Slow Forever is expected early 2016.