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CRYSTAL VIPER
At The Edge Of Time EP

AFM (2018)
Rating: 7/10

Can’t say I’m a fan of the cover art courtesy of Andreas Marschall, but I guess it does give one a good inkling as to what to expect with the latest release from Katowice, Poland-based act Crystal Viper.

Like a throwback to the glorious yet often rust-coated 80s, Crystal Viper’s reliance on the fantasy side of subjects does tend to bring layers of cheese, but this Polish brew have been dabbling in such sword ‘n’ sorcery realms since their inception in 2003. With six full-length releases already under their scaly belts, it comes as no real surprise that At The Edge Of Time continues with the tried and trusted themes.

Frontwoman Marta Gabriel is a warrior in her own right; having suffered health issues in 2013, since her recovery the band has become even more prolific and stronger, slaying dragons with a cool swipe of their glinting blade and marching into further nether regions.

This EP is somewhat brief, comprised of 20 minutes of music that sees five tracks. One such track an admirable cover of the Quartz number ‘Tell My Why’, and we also get a giallo version of ‘When The Sun Goes Down’ – a reworking of the track which first saw the light on 2017’s impressive Queen Of The Witches platter. The track itself features plenty of atmospheres, and is the sort of organ-drenched Gothic stuffiness that wouldn’t seem out of place on a Goblin album – the suspense building nicely to the timely plod of Tomasz “Golem” Danczak’s percussion and that sprinkle of eerie keyboards.

Most importantly though we get a trio of new tracks, the first of which is the title tune. This is a juddering rocker featuring plenty of haste in the rhythm section as the band ploughs its steely furrow in frantic fashion; Marta’s vocals soar high above, although it could be argued that the rest of the instruments lack an overall punch, at times fizzing a touch low in the mix. Nevertheless, it’s still a good track brimming with anthemic, power metal-cum-speed metal trajectories that are built upon that rattling bass of Błażej Grygiel, who lives up to his name with such a fiery exhibition of plucking.

Elsewhere, ‘Zwiastun Burzy’ comes hammering with intensity; this one again provides a sprint and although narrated entirely in Polish, it still rams its message home as a melodious wall of glimmering steel. Classic traditional metal is delivered with precision and potency, although again the production is just a tad lacking. The third new track is ‘When Are You’, which is built upon not only a haunting piano but the theme of fantasy author Michael Moorcock. Marta’s wistful tone is in deeper range, the track building steadily as a sombre yet also beautiful ballad develops with the eventual ascension of the vocal; an angelic yet reflective croon.

At The Edge Of Time is a nice gap-filler from a band of jolly knights sure to soldier on with future efforts of grace, guile and chivalry.

Neil Arnold

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