Review

On Viva la Muerte, Cobra Verde does for the blues what fellow Ohioans the Afghan Whigs did for soul on Gentlemen -- namely, revamp the sound into a straightforward rock approach while retaining the feel and thematics of the original form. Viva la Muerte contains stunning lyrical portraits of sex and death supported by guitar-driven dirge rock with overwhelming shifts in tempo, volume, and distortion. Together with the music, John Petkovic's voice warbles, shrieks, bellows, and intones the meaning that the words themselves don't suggest. And musically, Cobra Verde -- borrowing from blues and punk -- sounds fresh.