Photographer: Juha Aho-Pynttäri (photo taken in 1981)

COBRA 1981 have released their debut album “VOL. 1”! Today is also the release date for thousands of other albums by other artists and bands. So what makes this one special? Maybe the fact that the Cobra 1981 band members have been waiting for this event since 1981 – more than forty years!

The band was formed at the dawn of the eighties when the members were still young men. The world was very different then, but heavy rock had already taken a firm place in the cassette players and record shelves of young people. The compositions and stories that the guys wrote then, following their British role models, are so timeless that they still work in 2024. Their musical style in is influenced by NWOBHM, with guitar harmonies, fast tempos and story-like lyrics. Of course sung strongly across the full range of the singer’s vocal range. However, the album also features ballads and heavy riffing to spice up the decades-old brew.

The band members have long careers behind them, and some are already grandfathers. All have celebrated their fifties or more. Playing while working is a way to relax and get away from it all. It’s also a way to maintain friendships and build social capital. Playing together and performing at local summer festivals was reason enough to keep the band alive, but after an insider music producer heard the high standard of the songs and their performances, it was decided to see if they would lend themselves to a record.

The album was recorded as a studio live in a former barn building, which was converted into a rehearsal and recording studio. In addition to experience and confidence, the playing and singing is still tinged with the enthusiasm of youth – a journey back to the room in singer Asko’s home where his playing once began. After finding suitable partners, the songs were ready to be published and they have found their way onto the playlists of major streaming services. To band members’ surprise, radio play has been received from all over the globe. In 1981, none of the band members would have guessed that their latest work, chopped up in the rehearsal room, would end up on the radio in Mexico or Australia in 2024. 

Now the time is right for the release of a full length album, solemnly entitled “Vol.1”. The band still has unfulfilled ambitions, and with the enthusiastic and positive feedback from the singles, the next steps are already being planned. In forty years, more than one album has been added to the desk and Cobra1981’s touring form is stronger than ever!

Fulfilling their dreams and rocking – hard – doesn’t matter the age, time or place. When the fire is there, things are worth doing. The Vol.1 album and this five-piece are a rock hard example of that.

Listen to the album on music services (Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer etc.): https://push.fm/fl/cobra1981-vol1

1. Saattaja
2. Kuun kirkas valo
3. Elämän pyörteissä
4. Yön kuningatar
5. Yön salamat
6. Tummat pilvet
7. Jengi
8. Unta en saa
9. Vanha kuoma
10. Aamunrusko

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

Production, studio engineering ja mix: Arttu Volanto
Mastering engineer: Mika Jussila / Finnvox
Photos & Graphics: Roosa Sippola

https://www.instagram.com/cobra_1981
https://cobrayhtye.wixsite.com/cobrakuortane
Cobra 1981 @ Facebook

The Moon has given inspiration to poems, stories and songs throughout the ages. The light it reflects is more mysterious than sunlight and the shadows it creates are deeper and darker. The full moon is still a chapter in its own. Its echoes can unsettle the human mind and summon up nocturnal beasts. Cobra 1981‘s latest single Kuun kirkas valo (Bright Light of the Moon) is a traditional werewolf tale. The full moon makes the narrator thirsty to do things he might not want to do. However, as a counterforce, love can calm a restless mind.

Cobra 1981 comes from the Finnish countryside, where the darkness and silence are felt more strongly than in larger cities. The moonlight has a powerful effect on the landscape. So powerful, in fact, that it has inspired the band to write several moon-themed songs. The single has NWOBHM influences and a strong grip on their interpretation. After all, the songs were originally composed in the golden years of British heavy metal in the 1980s. 

Kuun kirkas valo is the band’s third single release and continues Cobra 1981’s long journey towards the dream of releasing an album. A dream that was awakened over forty years ago! The debut album “VOL1” will see the light of day on March 22. The singles Vanha kuoma and Yön salamat, which have been released so far, have attracted attention not only in Finland but also around the world, including Australia, Japan and South America.

Listen to the single on music services (Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer jne): https://push.fm/fl/cobra1981-kuunkirkasvalo – Graphic by Roosa Sippola

Composed by Juha Sippola, Asko Ylinen, Jukka-Pekka Laitila
Lyrics by Juha Sippola

Production, studio engineering ja mix: Arttu Volanto
Mastering engineer: Mika Jussila / Finnvox

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

https://www.instagram.com/cobra_1981
https://cobrayhtye.wixsite.com/cobrakuortane
Cobra 1981 @ Facebook

A storm is brewing, two people meet in the street. The atmosphere is threatening, but escape is not an option. Yön salamat is like a comic book screen or artwork of a heavy metal album from the depths of the eighties. Cobra 1981 showcases its faster and more fierce side with its second single.

Like their debut single, Vanha kuoma, which received good attention both at home and abroad, Yön salamat was written in the 1980s. The song is part of the debut album to be released this spring, most of the songs from which have been dug from the band’s archives. The album was recorded as a studio live in an old barn, which also serves as the band’s practice space. While selecting and rehearsing songs, the band occasionally returned to listening to original demos and rehearsal tapes. Despite decades passing by, the enthusiasm and ferocity of the musicians hasn’t gone away. The fast tempos remained fast and the vocal melodies remained at their original heights.

Double guitars roar as Cobra 1981 rocks out with their second single!

Listen to the single on music services: https://push.fm/fl/cobra1981-yonsalamat

Composed by Juha Sippola, Asko Ylinen, Jukka-Pekka Laitila
Lyrics by Juha Sippola

Production, studio engineering ja mix: Arttu Volanto
Mastering engineer: Mika Jussila / Finnvox
Photos & Graphics: Roosa Sippola

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

https://www.instagram.com/cobra_1981
https://cobrayhtye.wixsite.com/cobrakuortane
Cobra 1981 @ Facebook

The number on the name Cobra 1981 refers to the year that the band was founded in Finnish town of Kuortane. It’s not that typical that over 40 year old heavy metal band releases their debut single. But who says that you cannot beging your career as a recording artist when you are over 60? Here it is, the song “Vanha Kuoma” from 1980’s performed with today’s experience and skills.

Listen to “Vanha Kuoma” on music services: https://push.fm/fl/cobra1981-vanhakuoma

Their debut album will be released in spring 2024. Some of the songs are almost 40 years old and some more recent compositions. The band’s line-up consists all the founding members with couple of new recruitments of witch the youngest just celebrated his 50th birthday.

The album is energetic there is high tempo songs with heavy metal vocals and cinematic lyrics in the spirit of NWOBHM. On the other songs the atmosphere is ominous and on some parts power ballad -like. The album has been captured as studio live so the tight played experienced touch has a hint of roughness in it.

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

Production, studio engineering ja mix: Arttu Volanto
Mastering engineer: Mika Jussila / Finnvox

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

https://www.instagram.com/cobra_1981
https://cobrayhtye.wixsite.com/cobrakuortane