Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Crystal Viper – The Last Axeman (Listenable Records)


Crystal Viper is one of the more exciting heavy metal bands hailing from Poland.  The group is lead by an aspiring metal queen, Marta Gabriel.  They work hard, and go from strength to strength.  Crystal Viper is very consistent, and continues to release music on regular basis. 

“The Last Axeman” is described as an EP, but time-wise it offers nearly 40 minutes of music.  If you were a Crystal Viper fan for some time, you may remember the title track.  “The Last Axeman” gets a complete make over here, and it is a vast improvement over the original.  This song is a true heavy metal anthem.  “In The Haunted Chapel” is a brand new song, “Ulitsa Roz” is a cover from Russian band Aria, and finally Diamond Head’s “It’s Electric” rounds up the EP.  The release includes four more live tracks.  All come from the recent album, “The Cult, “ and were recorded live in the studio.  There are some great guitar harmonies throughout these songs.  Very catchy and melodic.  Also, "Ulitsa Roz" is delivered here in Russian.  Diamond Head's track with female vocals sounds very powerful.  After hearing two covers, the voice inside screams, "give us more!"

“The Last Axeman” has a very fresh feel.  It shows a band coming back to life.  After two years of limitations due to pandemic, the ice is breaking, and the bands start to function again.  Crystal Viper is a great unit with an amazing drive to succeed.  They are pure metal and need to be heard.  Marta Gabriel’s relentless riffing and her piercing vocals dominate the music, but that’s what the core of Crystal Viper is all about.  Good times and glory days of traditional metal!

Mark Kadzielawa

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