Crystal Viper – Tales of Fire and Ice

The sound of pouring rain and guitars welcomes the listener into the sonic universe that Crystal Viper have created here, as “Prelude” acts like an intro, neatly making way for the first single “Still alive”, a rather mid-tempo melodic track, with catchy riffs and hooky vocal melodies. The power metal track “Crystal sphere” picks up pace and gives the album a sense of momentum with its headbangish rhythm, double bass beats and short-but-sweet solo. There are some keyboard flourishes in the background that complement Marta’s vocals as well as the guitars, making it a stand-out track. The traditional heavy metal number “Bright lights” is a faster-paced number with a chugging guitar part overlaid on the rhythmic section, thus adding thickness to the sound, while the vocal hooks are as infections as they are melodic, and the solo is simply amazing. Could work extremely well in a live setting. So far I’m liking the build-up of the album, going heavier and speedier with each new track.

Things slow down a bit with “Neverending fire”, a hard rock type of a ballad whose bouncy vocal melodies bring to mind an old Romanian folk song (“Pseudofabula” if anyone is curious), with its strong 80s vibe, while the backing keys add layers of harmony and texture to the main melody. After the piano-driver atmospheric “Interlude” (why was this needed, I do now know), the album again gains some momentum with “Under ice”, where the double bass beats are driving the song forward, while the guitars provide a good rhythm and the vocals are melodic and catchy. Again there’s a sense of build-up here, as both “One question” and “Tomorrow never comes (Dyatlov Pass)” are speedier than the previous ones, with some very heavy metal-type of vocals and screams that are reminiscent of old Crystal Viper (and maybe even Judas Priests). I really enjoy the way the serene “Tears of Arizona” brings everything down, with piano melodies, soulful vocals and again a very 80s vibe to it. Rounding off the album is a cover of Dokken’s “Dream warriors” (CD bonus track), where the guitars and vocals provide a nice contrast to the (subdued) drums, and Marta Gabriel’s voice shows off more of its nuances, especially during the chorus. Not a bad way to close off this album.