Death of Samantha were one of the most promising American rock bands of the 1980s, but several factors conspired to ensure their anonymity. Metallic but never metal, glamorous (in their own minds, at least) but never slick, they always found a way to slip through the pigeonholes of popular taste. Besides that, their drummer, Steve-O, was a complete nut job. After a five-year hiatus, the principal members of Death of Samantha (minus Mr. O) reemerged as Cobra Verde to release Viva la Muerte. Not only does the album one-up all of Death of Samantha's previous accomplishments, but it also adds an element of emotional and intellectual intensity rare among bands this rocking. With an irreverent eye toward technology and a steadfast belief in the substantive qualities of posturing, Cobra Verde's self-described "avant-glam" crusade might be one of the few remaining hopes for innovation within the guitar-bass-drums trinity. Viva la Muerte is their mission statement. --Elden Stovall