Formed in 2009 by Canadian singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and classically trained singer Kobra Paige, Calgary-based heavy metal outfit Kobra and the Lotus specialize in traditional, hard-hitting, New Wave of British Heavy Metal-influenced hard rock. After releasing their first collection of material, Out of the Pit, independently, Kobra and the Lotus caught the attention of Kiss' Gene Simmons, who helped get the fledgling act a record deal with Universal. Their eponymous major-label debut arrived in 2012, followed by a long bout of touring that saw them sharing the stage with some of their heroes, like Judas Priest and Slash. The group's third studio album, the Johnny K-produced High Priestess, dropped in 2014, followed by a North American tour in support of Kiss and Def Leppard. The covers EP Words of the Prophets arrived in 2015, and in March 2017 Kobra and the Lotus released the first volume of their ambitious, largely crowd-funded double-LP Prevail, via Napalm Records. The second installment, Prevail II, followed in May 2018.nn~ James Christopher Monger