Gold Cobra

Background

In 2004, Limp Bizkit recorded The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1), with returning member Wes Borland, but John Otto was replaced by Sammy Siegler for much of the album. Following the release of the band's Greatest Hitz album, the band went on hiatus. Borland stated that it was unlikely that a sequel to The Unquestionable Truth would be produced and that "As of right now, none of my future plans include Limp Bizkit." In 2009, Limp Bizkit reunited with Borland on guitar and launched the Unicorns N' Rainbows Tour.

During the tour, Durst announced that they had begun to record a new album, with Borland titled Gold Cobra. Borland said that the title does not have any meaning, and that it was chosen because it fit the style of music the band was writing for the album. The band recorded a spoken intro written by Durst and performed by Kiss member Gene Simmons for the album, but it was left off the completed album. The band also recorded additional "non-album" tracks, including "Combat Jazz", which featured rapper Raekwon.

Music and lyrics

The music of Gold Cobra was generally described as nu metal, and has been noted as a return to the established sound of Limp Bizkit's earlier albums. However, the album features noticeable variations from the band's established style for a more eclectic sound. Unlike Significant Other, Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water and Results May Vary, Gold Cobra does not feature any guest vocalists, and the album's sound predominately focuses on the guitar work of Wes Borland rather than that of turntablist and sound designer DJ Lethal. Sam Rivers' bass playing incorporates elements of jazz and funk, while Borland's guitar playing incorporates a variety of influences, ranging from heavy metal and hard rock to electronic music and DJ Lethal's keyboards and samples give the album a sound that is both melodic and abrasive. The intro, "Introbra", features distorted air raid sirens, and is much darker in tone than the hip hop-influenced intros on Significant Other and Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water. Interludes on the album incorporate elements of hip hop and jazz.

"Bring It Back" differs from Limp Bizkit's established sound by being slower and heavier than the band is generally known for. "Shark Attack" is an uptempo track which features references to earlier songs, such as the lyric "another one of those days", which refers to the lyrics of "Break Stuff". "Walking Away", "Loser" and the album's first single, "Shotgun", are noted for featuring guitar solos by Borland, something that Limp Bizkit is not known for. "Shotgun", influenced by heavy metal music, has been described as an anthem by Artistdirect. "Walking Away" is a serene, ambient ballad with introspective lyrics which does not contain any hip hop influence or rapping, in contrast to the sound the band is generally known for, and builds with dramatic solos. "Loser" combines the softer sound of "Walking Away" with rapped verses, and is followed by a heavier track, "Autotunage", featuring Durst singing in autotune, and "90.2.10", which incorporates a thrash influence.

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 53, indicating "mixed or average reviews", based on 11 reviews. Artistdirect reviewer Rick Florino gave the album 5 out of 5 stars, writing "Gold Cobra is everything you hoped it would be, and rap and metal will be walking funny after it takes a bite out of both them". Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album a positive review, calling it "a return to the full-throttled attack of Three Dollar Bill Y'All. Metal Hammer writer Terry Bezer wrote, "Aside from the odd duff moment, Gold Cobra throws out the hot shit that’ll make you bounce in the mosh pit over and over again."

David Buchanan, of Consequence of Sound, called Gold Cobra "an entertaining, boastful, non-alienating piece of nostalgic bliss for those who once held memberships with the LB". In a similar context, Bloody Disgusting writer Jonathan Barkan gave the album a positive review, stating "The album, on a whole, sounds fantastic. [...] It's not Paganini or Opeth or Dream Theater. It's rap rock and it does exactly what it sets out to do." IGN writer Chad Grischow wrote, "Though far from their best work, Limp Bizkit's latest at least proves that their 2005 Greatest Hitz album may have been premature." About.com writer Tim Grierson called Gold Cobra "the group’s strongest since Significant Other".

Entertainment Weekly reviewer Kyle Anderson called the album an "oft-delayed, petulant, and hook-devoid 'comeback' from the onetime champions of early-aughts nü-metal mania." Antiquiet published a negative review which described the album as "music for the sneering scumbags who find kinship in the dregs of cultural rot". The website initially gave the album 1 out of 5 stars. Wes Borland responded to the review, stating "The hatred you have for Fred is part of the reason we've succeeded. [...] No matter what effect he has on people in a ‘TMZ Personality’ kind of way, he is an astonishing front man and performer. I could see 1 out of 5 if you were expecting OK Computer [...] As far as LB records go, Gold Cobra is perfect." In another negative review, NME reviewer Dan Martin wrote that it is "difficult to believe Limp Bizkit could return after all this time somehow even more hateful than before. Yet, by witlessly sticking to what was once termed ‘nu-metal’, a genre now hopelessly old and even less subtle, it’s really beyond parody: it ends up just ugly." theneedledrop refused to review the album, instead making a video consisting of him making a smoothie and eating chips with hummus.

Commercial performance

Gold Cobra charted at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 charts with 27,000 copies sold in the first week in the United States. The album charted on Billboard Albums for the No. 3 Rock Album, No. 11 Digital Album, No. 2 Alternative Album, No. 1 Hard Rock Album and No. 21 Tastemakers Album. In its second week of release overseas Gold Cobra was No. 7 on the Swiss Album Charts, No. 8 on the Austrian Album Charts, No. 24 on the Canadian Albums Chart and No. 1 on the German Albums Chart.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Fred Durst, except "Middle Finger" by Paul Wall and Fred Durst; all music composed by Limp Bizkit, except "Back Porch" by Fred Durst and Boney B.eats, "Combat Jazz" and "Middle Finger" by Mathematics.

Personnel

Limp Bizkit

Production