From the meaty rhythms of Black Sabbath, the belligerent hooks of AC/DC and sludgy riffs of Metallica then-thirteen-year-old Brent Cobb earned an unorthodox education, one that would enlighten his musical beginnings in the garages of his youth. Some two decades later, those same snarling strings and frenzied beats – sounds so thick you can almost chew on them – have informed him once again.
With his latest album, Ain’t Rocked In A While – Cobb’s seventh studio release and first alongside his touring band, The Fixin’s – the sage country outlier is revisiting his roots and the musical style that first set him on his path all those years ago.
Across ten tracks, the “Black Creek” crooner wades into the depths of fuzz and distortion, sinking fully into the heavy, urgent sounds that have often been a part of his live shows but have rarely cropped up among the soulful ruralisms and canny songwriting of his past projects. With this album, he trades in vengeful mysticism and power-hungry maws.
The result is potent, but there is plenty that gets lost in all the noise.
