Crystal Viper is an ambitious modern heavy metal act founded by vocalist Marta Gabriel. If you're familiar with bands that embrace the traditional heavy metal sound, you most likely know something about Crystal Viper. From their debut record, The Curse of the Crystal Viper, these Polish headbangers have evolved a lot. However, their dual sound that combines both traditional heavy metal and power metal has stayed the same. Gabriel's aggressive vibrato vocals, galloping riffs, and some Iron Maiden worship have proven to be a good combination.
I must admit that I'm not a fan of the majority of their studio efforts. Their earlier records contain some okay-level Iron Maiden and traditional power metal worship, but the muddy production drags them down. While recent records like Queen of the Witches and Tales of Fire and Ice contain good moments that shine, they lack the ability to grab and hold listeners' attention. After listening to those records, I realized how much I missed their strong 2012 release, Crimen Excepta. Even though they couldn't maintain that ambition, their 2021 output, The Cult, was a powerful statement and a clear step in the right direction. It was creative and full of solid material, with production that shone through the whole record. This brings us to today's subject. After several listens to this new work from Crystal Viper, I can clearly and wholeheartedly admit that this is it. The direction they were heading with the previous album was indeed the right one, and it led them to perhaps their best effort in their whole career: The Silver Key.
After its atmospheric intro, the record immediately grabs your attention with the magnificent combination of the one-two punch with "Fever of the Gods" and "Old House in the Mist." The power metal side of the record shines with the brilliant "Heading Kadath," and the mid-tempo devil title track strengthens the album's middle pace. While I didn't get too much into the closer, "Gods of Thunder of Wind and of Rain," the previous two tracks, "Escape From Yaddith" and "Cosmic Forces Overtake," ignite the traditional heavy metal fire in me. But if we're going to talk about a few downsides, "Book of the Dead" feels a little uninspired, and the ballad "Wayfaring Dreamer" drags the record a bit.
Overall, I'm more than happy that Crystal Viper's direction led them to this. The Silver Key is a solid heavy/power metal output, and while it showcases the band's strengths, it also stands its ground as the best record of the band.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Fever of the Gods
Old House in the Mist
Heading Kadath
Cosmic Forces Overtake
RATING: 8.0/10
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