Here we have another gem from the fine folks at Svart Records, the self-titled debut from Swedish metal act Night Viper. This recent collaboration features vocalist Sofie Lee Johansson, guitarist Tom Sutton (Horisont, ex-Church of Misery), drummer Jonna Karlsson, guitarist Emil Ridderstolpe, and bassist Ruben Åhlander Persson, who, along with the release of their debut album, have played numerous live gigs around Sweden and Europe
Night Viper is a hard album to categorize, as it contains elements of old school hard rock, doom, speed metal, and classic NWOBHM flavors, making it a varied and enjoyable platter of music for any metalhead to sink their teeth into. "Curse of a Thousand Death" is a good example of all these elements coming together, as a plethora of slow & fast riffs pulse and weave their way through the arrangements, with Sofie's venomous vocals soaring over the top. "Run For Cover", "The Hammer" and "Night Viper" gallop and rumble like a young Iron Maiden, Motorhead, or Metallica, and the more lumbering "Warrior Woman" brings to mind classic Diamond Head, complete with tasty twin guitar harmonies and epic riffs. Chastain meets Thin Lizzy on the hard hitting "Never Be Enslaved", and the proto-thrash of "The Wolverine" contains so many hot riffs & licks it will leave your head spinning.
Once again another Swedish band scores big, and hopefully Night Viper are around long enough to grace us with another platter of retro metal like this one in the not too distant future. Until then, expect to get a lot of mileage out of this gem.
Track Listing
1) Night Viper
2) The Hammer
3) Curse of a Thousand Deaths
4) Run for Cover
5) Warrior Woman
6) Faces in the Mirror
7) Never be Enslaved
8) Dagger In Hand
9) The Wolverine
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