KOBRA AND THE LOTUS – Velvet Roses (Official Video)

Electric hooks, metallic polish

Velvet Roses arrives as one of the most immediate cuts from Kobra and the Lotus’s 2018 album Prevail II, issued under exclusive license to Napalm Records. It is a tight, high-energy showcase for a band that straddles the line between melodic hard rock and modern heavy metal, balancing grit with gleam and a chorus built for big rooms. The track’s title hints at a core tension that runs through the band’s two-part project, a juxtaposition of softness and bite that plays out in the songwriting and in Kobra Paige’s commanding vocal approach.

The song’s pulse and pull

Velvet Roses works because every element arrives with purpose. The guitars bite in on a sturdy, groove-forward riff, then bloom into soaring harmonized lines that frame the hooks without crowding them. Jasio Kulakowski threads tasteful leads between verse and chorus, favoring melody over flash while still delivering the kind of fluid phrasing that keeps the track in motion. The rhythm section, with Brad Kennedy on bass and Marcus Cox on drums, locks into a driving pocket that emphasizes backbeat punch and quick, clean transitions. It is a lean arrangement, built on clarity and momentum, with the chorus lifting on stacked vocal lines that underline the band’s melodic instincts.

At the center is Paige, whose delivery moves from a steely, articulate verse to a full-throated chorus without losing control. She shapes long tones with a controlled vibrato and leans into consonants to sharpen the groove, a blend that keeps the song both muscular and radio-ready. The effect is immediate and rewarding: a track that invites repeat listens while remaining unmistakably heavy.

Visual language, crafted in Serbia

The official Velvet Roses video was filmed and produced in Serbia in June 2018 by the iCODE Team. The collaboration places performance at the forefront, emphasizing kinetic camera work, sharp edits and stylized lighting that amplify the song’s hook-loaded architecture. Wardrobe, hair and makeup choices lean into a classic metal aesthetic without tipping into caricature, keeping the band’s presence front and center.

Every department is accounted for, and the credits reflect a production designed for impact and precision:

Director / Visual Effects: Ivan Colic
Producer: Stanimir Lukic Staca
Production Manager: Josip Colic
DOP & Cameramen: Milos Krcmarov
Stylist: Bane Devic
Make-Up Artist: Dragana MIlenkovic
Hair Dresser: Dragana Injac
Director’s Assistant: Ivan Stefanovic
Camera Assistant: Miroslav Todorovic
Light Operator 1: Aleksandar Bozic
Light Operator 2: Ognjen Opalic
Back-line Assistant: Danijel Scepanovic
Driver: Predrag Stanojevic
Catering: Milanka Momcilovic
Studio Manager: Vladimir Momcilovic / MVP Studio

Filmed and produced by the iCODE Team, Serbia, June 2018.

Two albums, one arc

Prevail II completes the narrative arc launched by 2017’s Prevail I, a dual release conceived as a balance of contrasts. Where the first volume set the table, the second leans into catharsis and momentum. The band described the relationship as yin and yang, and the tracklist bears it out. Opener Losing My Humanity stands as an early statement piece, a melodic feast of vocal and guitar craft that fixes the band’s placement between hard rock muscle and a modern metal sheen, with occasional nods to classic rock dynamics. Let Me Love You pushes the accessible side of that equation with a hook that sticks, while the instrumental intermezzo Ribe and the elegiac White Water widen the emotional bandwidth without sacrificing cohesion. Modern day hero, tucked deeper in, grounds the set with a straight-ahead rocker that reconnects with core influences.

As Paige put it, “It was an immensely challenging experience but it pushed and pulled the best out of us.” The finished two-part cycle sounds like a band testing its edges and tightening its center at the same time.

Performance and musicianship

Kobra and the Lotus operate with a four-piece efficiency that leaves little slack. The guitars carry both rhythm and melody, often moving from palm-muted drive to open-chord lift as sections demand. Leads favor contour and thematic development over extended shredding, which keeps the focus on the song rather than the solo. Bass lines support the harmonic grid but step forward at key transitions to punch the groove, and the drum parts mix straight-ahead rock backbeats with crisp cymbal work and the occasional double-kick accent for emphasis. Vocally, Paige’s range and attack let the band push tempos and keys that flatter the hooks without compromising weight.

On stage in 2018

Following the release of Prevail II, the band supported the album on the Female Metal Voices Tour 2018 with Butcher Babies, bringing new material like Velvet Roses to European stages. The run illustrated how the Prevail era material translates live, with uptempo choruses landing cleanly and the heavier edges intact.

04.10.18 CH – Solothurn / Kulturfabrik
05.10.18 FR – Marseille / Jas Rod
06.10.18 ES – Barcelona / Salamandra
07.10.18 ES – Madrid / Caracol
09.10.18 FR – Lyon / O Totem
10.10.18 IT – Brescia / Circolo Colony
11.10.18 AT – Vienna / Viper Room
13.10.18 CH – Sachseln / Metal Scar Fest
14.10.18 DE – Mannheim / MS Connexion
16.10.18 DK – Aarhaus / Voxhall
17.10.18 DE – Hamburg / Headcrash
18.10.18 DE – Oberhausen / Kulttempel
19.10.18 DE – Siegburg / Kubana
20.10.18 NL – Arnhem / Willemeen
21.10.18 BE – Vosselaar / Biebob

Band lineup

Kobra Paige – vocal
Jasio Kulakowski – guitar
Brad Kennedy – bass
Marcus Cox – drums

Release information

Velvet Roses stands as a clear statement of where Kobra and the Lotus were in that moment: sharpening their songwriting, tightening their playing, and finding a melodic sweet spot that invites a broad audience without losing the steel at the core.