CRYSTAL VIPER (Polònia) presenta nou single: "The Cult (Live)" #CrystalViper #HeavyMetal #PowerMetal #Maig2025 #Polònia #NouSingle #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic
CRYSTAL VIPER (Polònia) presenta nou single: "The Cult (Live)" #CrystalViper #HeavyMetal #PowerMetal #Maig2025 #Polònia #NouSingle #Metall #Metal #MúsicaMetal #MetalMusic
Dr. A.N. Grier’s Top Ten(ish) of 2024
By Dr. A.N. Grier
If I were to rate the year of our Lord 2024, I’d give it a solid 4.5/5.0. No, I joke. FUCK 2024. Good riddance, fuck off, goodfuckingbye. This year, the layoffs continued (even affected some of our writers here), the prices skyrocketed, the World Series was bullshit, and landfills across the States are twice their capacity thanks to useless election fliers. This year has resulted in practically zero time to work on AMG efforts, write reviews, or listen to music as I continue to try to keep my job. Yay. Cheers to you, 2024—you sack of horse shit. Let’s go, 2025, you sassy bitch who suggests great things to come but probably won’t deliver. If only you could promise me more time doing the things I love—listening to metal, writing about it, and pretending to edit the other writers’ reviews while completely hammered. If so, I’d kiss you as the ball drops, take you to the back alley during the after-party, and promise not to poison your coffee the next morning.
But we aren’t there yet. We are still stuck in the past, looking over a mediocre year of metal, regurgitating the same shit we already wrote for each album on our lists. That way, you all can praise, argue, and whine about each choice and its placement. Thankfully, my lists rarely overlap with anyone else’s and no one actually gives a fuck, so my sleep patterns remain the same. Having passed the ten-year mark at this amazing madland, my tastes remain the same, and no one will be surprised that most of the selections here are the items I alone reviewed. That changes occasionally but with no time to think about music this year, you’ll be treated to odd takes and albums that only scored a 3.0. Oh no!1
Thank you to the AMG staff for their lackluster productivity and overrating tendencies. To Dolph, Kenny, and Sharky for introducing new segments and keeping legacy ones alive. And to Cuervo and GardensTale for the additional year-end contributions they deliver. I also have to give a huge shoutout to the top bosses—AMG and Steel Daddy—for all they do2. I guess I should also thank all of you for your continued support. I guess. May this list find you well as we are thrust into 2025 and the potential nightmares that it’ll bring. Cheers.
#ish. I Am the Intimidator // I Am the Intimidator – What? You fucking knew this was coming. When Steel told me to review an album about NASCAR and Dale Earnhardt, I couldn’t not do it. I mean, this one-off, self-titled record from a one-off band was a perfect opportunity to unleash my rage. And then… wait, what the fuck? It’s actually kinda good? In a weird year where I reviewed two racing-related albums, I Am the Intimidator sports3 six wild tracks that combine Dio and Iron Maiden with Ministry. What the fuck? And, somehow, the lyrics would be fucking hilarious if they weren’t so passionate. OK, the lyrics of the surprisingly delicious and crushing “Gasoline” are fucking hilarious, and a regular, all-caps attack in the AMG channels. After all the chaos and wild influences that make up this tight, six-track album, the passion for “The Intimidator” is true, even if it’s weird. But, I can’t stop listening to this album any more than I can stop drinking beer.
#10. Dust Bolt // Sound & Fury – Like so many other Grier lists, there’s always an album that becomes the most frequented in my shit-filled ears. Yup, I know, you all fucking hate it, and I couldn’t care less. For the band (and style), Sound & Fury is a brave effort that I find addictive, fun, and hilarious trolling material when Steel talks shit. Is it thrash? No, but that didn’t stop me from proclaiming Load as Metallica’s best album. Shifting away from the overused thrash concept and mediocre record releases, Dust Bolt chose the unconventional route of cleaner vocals, smoother production, and catchier choruses to remove themselves from their past outings (and, some would argue, from thrash and metal in general). For you naysayers, there are plenty of headbangable moments on Sound & Fury, so you don’t have to feel like a poser singing these new songs in your mom’s shower.
#9. Midnight // Hellish Expectations – Perhaps one of the most prolific metal bands out there, what can I say about Midnight that I haven’t said already? Oh yeah, they’re badass and if you don’t like them, you’re shit. Also, fuck you. Like previous releases, Midnight continues to speed through riffs that bring to mind classic outfits like Darkthrone, Motörhead, Venom, and Celtic Frost at a relentless speed. While other Midnight records are better, Hellish Expectations joins its compatriots in a discog that can do no wrong. Unless, of course, you don’t like this band’s style. In that case, read above regarding that “fuck you” thing. What makes Hellish Expectations great in this frustrating year is that it caps at twenty-five wonderful minutes—which is the same amount of time it takes to shit out your morning coffee. So, this is a chance to correct your poserness. If you like this band, you already know Hellish Expectations is a fun ride that’ll keep your spikes sharp and your leather pants shit free.
#8. Bombus // Your Blood – Like another band on my list, this Swedish heavy metal, hard rock band has seen a lot of ups and downs in their career. And, for some reason, their co-founding vocalist and guitarist walked. But that didn’t stop Bombus. Not only did they find someone to fill those two slots, but they also added another guitarist to round it out to three. With these new additions, the skill displayed on Your Blood is superior to anything the band has ever done. There’re solos, harmonizing leads, and riffs up the fucking wazoo. I’m uncertain if it’s due to this new skillset or an increase in motivation with five years between albums, but Bombus held nothing back for Your Blood. While there are plenty of the bangers you would expect from a band of this caliber, like the addictive “Take You Down,” there are also other interesting inclusions that I should hate, yet love. For example, the weird, Spaghetti Western qualities of “Your Blood,” the Nick Cave-meets-The White Stripes musings of “The One,” and the bizarreness that is “Carmina.” With Your Blood, the band has found their groove and passion again, delivering their best album yet.
#7. Vanessa Funke // Void – This year brought a surprising new addition to my favorite bands of all time. In this case, it was the newest release from the multi-instrumentalist, Vanessa Funke. With a small but stellar catalog, Ms. Funke continuously dabbles in new influences and song approaches with each album and Void is no different. Coming off last year’s acoustic masterpiece Vanessa Funke rewinds to her debut record, Solitude, alternating between rasps and cleans, acoustic and distorted guitars, and her perfectly molded combination of folk, melodeath, and atmospheric black metal. The textures created by the vocals, guitars, keys, and piano take Void down into some incredible depths, engulfing its listeners in blankets that can be both soft and stabby. Albums like this are rare for me these days, so when they do completely submerse me to the point that I can’t think of anything else, there’s no doubt it’ll make it on my year-end list.
#6. Crystal Viper // The Silver Key – Maybe not everyone’s favorite Polish act,4 Crystal Viper’s founding vocalist and guitarist, Marta Gabriel, has been knocking around her blend of heavy and power metal for nearly two decades. But, it’s been a rocky road of great, mediocre, and rage-inducing records. Where Crimen Expecta shines like a bright star in the sky, Tales of Fire and Ice is a dumpster fire that topped my most disappointing album of 2019. When I approached this year’s The Silver Key, I was expecting another mid album (or worse) but was immediately engrossed—maybe even more than Crimen Expecta. Though many of you dislike the vocals, Gabriel is in top form. But, her vocal performance is only one aspect of the Crystal Viper sound. Her guitar work is some of the best of her career, lending new ideas to the song structures and album flow. While plenty of bands are—and are not better—than Crystal Viper, The Silver Key is undeniably one of the best albums of their career.
#5. Sidewinder // Talons – Most likely one of the only overlaps I’ll have with the cunts that work here,5 Sidewinder’s newest release, Talons, threw me for a loop. Not expecting anything from a band I’ve never heard about, Talons immediately got my noggin’ bobbin’ in the most pleasing way. I can’t pinpoint exactly why I like this style of heavy, bounding stoner metal, but every time I hear it, it clicks. And nothing is better than diving right into a record where one of the band’s best pieces is the opener. “Guardians” is a quintessential Sidewinder piece that personifies the band and everything they stand for. But that’s only the beginning, as the guitars cruise down the road and the bass rumbles through the gravel. Clocking in at a mere thirty-four minutes, this eight-track beauty never reaches beyond its means, ensuring the songs are straight and tight, allowing Jem’s powerful vocals to direct the varying moods. While the band resides in the lush and beautiful landscapes of New Zealand,6 if a sound could represent the harsh desert lands of my home, this would be it.
#4. Aborted // Vault of Horrors – As many know, death metal is not my cup o’ tea. Once upon a time, death metal was my life, but that ship sailed when my favorites grew old and repetitive, and what you all call death metal these days bores me to tears. But the one band that continues to make me salivate is Aborted.7 And, boy, did this year’s Vault of Horrors deliver. With tracks like “Dreadbringer,” “The Golgothan,” and “Malevolent Haze,” this new release offers some incredible depth and relentless brutality. Aborted has always delivered good-to-great albums but after nearly thirty years, how can these lads continue to improve and produce such quality releases? Vault of Horrors is a great record and arguably one of the band’s best. It’s been several months since this beauty was released, so if it passed by you, rectify your posersivity.
#3. The Vision Bleak // Weird Tales – I don’t know what it is about The Vision Bleak but they fucking hit me and hit me hard. On the surface, their style is quite simple, but it’s the layers, stories, mood, and damning vocal performances that draw me in like I’m viewing a Vincent Price horror marathon. Combining their Type O Negative vocal characteristics with atmospheric moods that can be depressive at one point and ethereal at another, The Vision Bleak took a massive leap by releasing Weird Tales as (technically) a one-song album. Eight years since their incredible The Unknown, Weird Tales doesn’t skip a beat, maintaining the duo’s title as one of the greatest bands in gothic metal. With magnificent builds, eerie transitions, mind-bending fluidity, and heart-wrenching passages, the haunting nature of Weird Tales leaves you contemplating your existence in a world controlled by the fate instilled in it by the late, great H.P. Lovecraft.
#2. Kingcrow // Hopium – For fucking months, our progressive cunt, Dolphin Whisper, tried desperately to steal Kingcrow’s Hopium from me—somehow thinking he’s better than me when it comes to describing the lushness of Kingcrow. The fuck. Even though Kingcrow hasn’t released an album in six years, there’s no way some flipper fucker would take this from me. Sure, I’m not a huge fan of progressive metal, but at least I know what’s good progressive metal instead of lazily making love to everything with the tag of “prog.” Anyway, Hopium continues to deliver gorgeous tapestries painted with soothing vocals, synthy atmospheres, and impressive performances for all involved. Though I consider Eidos their best, Hopium is not far behind. While tapping into common influences like Dream Theater and Spock’s Beard, this Italian outfit is very much on a level all its own. If you like prog, you’ll find Hopium—with such wildly varying tracks like “Vicous Circle,” “Parallel Lines,” and “White Rabit’s Hole”—to be the most diverse prog record of the year.
#1. Borknagar // Fall – Goddammit, I love Borknagar. Few bands have such high album scores for a career that spans thirty years and a dozen albums—especially with a constant rotation of players and vocalists. Though, how can you be pissed off about having any of the great vocalists Borknagar has employed throughout the years? Since the beginning, the band has continuously introduced more melody and keys in their music, but Fall is special compared to the output in the last twenty years. Though this new album hasn’t hung up that hat by any means, Øystein G. Brun, Lars A. Nedland, and crew dug through the ashes of the past to bring some of those old-school black metal moments back into the mix. From the blackened assault of “Summits” and the Dimmu Borgir-esque vibes of “Northward,” the band continues to shock and surprise, avoiding a repetition from a previous album. So, dive into the best album o’ the year in all its glory.8
Honorable Mentions
Disappointments o’ the Year
Songs o’ the Year
#2024 #Aborted #Attic #BlogPosts #BloodRedThrone #Bombus #Borknagar #CelticFrost #CrystalViper #Darkthrone #DimmuBorgir #Dio #DrANGrierSTopTenIshOf2024 #DreamTheater #DustBolt #Exhorder #IAmTheIntimidator #IronMaiden #Khold #KingDiamond #Kingcrow #Lists #MercyfulFate #Metallica #Midnight #Ministry #Motörhead #NickCave #Portrait #Sarke #Sidewinder #SpockSBeard #TheVisionBleak #TheWhiteStripes #TypeONegative #Vader #VanessaFunke #Venom
:megaphone: DEMNÄCHST!
*Zusammenfassung 11.10. bis 11.11. für Kassel
Act of Creation
12.10.2024 Marburg / KFZ
Blakylle
12.10.2024 Hildesheim / Thav
Carnal Tomb
12.10.2024 Göttingen / Juzi
Engulfed und Carnal Tomb
12.10.2024 Göttingen / Juzi
Iron Maidnem
12.10.2024 Schmallenberg
Milking the Goatmachine
12.10.2024 Marburg / KFZ
25.10.2024 Kassel / Goldgrube
Mutabor
12.10.2024 Bad Salzungen / Pressenwerk
The Psycho Juniors
12.10.2024 Göttingen / Exil
Leoniden
13.10.2024 Fulda / KUZ Kreuz
The Headlines
14.10.2024 Kassel / Goldgrube
#ActOfCreation #BadSalzungen #Blakylle #CarnalTomb #CrystalViper #Engulfed #Exil #Fulda #Goldgrube #Gottingen #Hildesheim #IronMaidnem #Juzi #KFZ #KUZKreuz #Kassel #Leoniden #Marburg #MilkingTheGoatmachine #Mutabor #Pressenwerk #Schmallenberg #Thav #TheHeadlines #ThePsychoJuniors #SteelFeed #SteelFeedSoon
:megaphone: DEMNÄCHST!
*Zusammenfassung 04.10. bis 04.11. für Bremen
ExSilencio
04.10.2024 Bremen / Zollkantine
The Rockalots
04.10.2024 Bremen / Meisenfrei Blues Club
Wellbad
04.10.2024 Worpswede / Music Hall
Butterwegge
05.10.2024 Bremen / Tower Musikclub
Mercy Union
05.10.2024 Vechta / Gulfhaus
The Spacelords
05.10.2024 Asendorf / Kulturhaus Break Out
Night Demon, Riot City und Traveler
06.10.2024 Oldenburg / MTS Records
Sperling
08.10.2024 Bremen / Tower Musikclub
Crystal Viper und Savage Master
10.10.2024 Oldenburg / MTS Records
Fahnenflucht
11.10.2024 Bremen / Tower Musikclub
#Asendorf #Bremen #Butterwegge #CrystalViper #ExSilencio #Fahnenflucht #Gulfhaus #JuKuzHagenbusch #KulturhausBreakOut #MTSRecords #March #Marl #MeisenfreiBluesClub #MercyUnion #MusicHall #NightDemon #Oldenburg #Sperling #TheRockalots #TheSpacelords #TowerMusikclub #Vechta #Wellbad #Worpswede #Zollkantine #SteelFeed #SteelFeedSoon
And another one for @Kitty's #MittwochMetalMix:
#Tremonti: The Mother, The Earth and I
#Thrashurday for #RegionalRiffs by @sozcantrememberwhoishosting:
#KillerSick: We Are Toxic
Crystal Viper – The Silver Key Review
By Dr. A.N. Grier
I’ve been with Marta Gabriel and her heavy/power metal outfit, Crystal Viper, since their stellar 2012 release, Crimen Excepta. Not only is Gabriel an axe master, but her riffs and voice undoubtedly inspired similar power metal acts, like Unleash the Archers. But, Crystal Viper hasn’t been as consistent as they once were. The last few albums I’ve reviewed have ranged from disappointing to very good, including a Disappointment o’ the Year for 2019’s Tales of Fire and Ice. But, being a fan of her riffs, solos, and voice, I’m always looking to be surprised by a Crystal Viper record. Since its conception, the constant members of Crystal Viper have been Gabriel (previously Leather Wych) and guitarist, Andy Wave. Through the years, we’ve seen bassists and drummers come and go. This time, Gabriel has taken up the bass, skipping the middleman and getting right to it. But, being that our lead figure is now working with vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, piano, and sharing songwriting duties, is this too much to hope for on The Silver Key?
On the surface, fans of the band will be pleased to know that nothing has changed between previous releases and The Silver Key. For the rest of you, continue to be posers. Gabriel doesn’t slow down and, with the help of her husband’s production skills, we continue to get dynamic releases that let the guitar harmonizations rise to the surface, allow the bass to make a presence, and smoothe the drums into the mix so they are their most-effective rhythm piece. You can also expect a tight, 40-minute record with ten, high-energy pieces that combine bangers, ballads, and soaring choruses. While you can’t expect much diversity in how the band crafts their albums, The Silver Key has a lot of surprises that completely floored me—not only on the first listen, but each one after.
After a soothing, spacey instrumental, the band wastes no time grabbing you by the balls and dragging you down the pavement with “Fever of the Gods.” This thing is a banger, suggesting a band having a Hell of a fun time pounding this one out. The riffs are killer, the vocals are powerful, and the melodic leads on the back half are a nice addition. Other heavy tracks into the blistering-fast riff and drum work on “Book of the Dead” and “Escape from Yaddith.” Both have the rolling riff style that brings to mind the relentless picking styles of Iced Earth and Blind Guardian, driving the songs with unforgiving speed. The first has a marching quality, much like “The Key Is Lost,” but without the fun, old-school qualities of NWoBHM. Instead, “Book of the Dead” has some nifty sinisterness in the vocal performance with a massive chorus, slick guitar harmonization, and solo work. “Escape from Yaddith” is a unique track for its speed and the shocking harmonizing guitars that sound like something from the first two Dissection records. Yeah, you read that right. And it continues into the closing track, “Cosmic Forces Overtake.”
On the power metal side, “Heading Kadath” and the title track are some of the best. The former opens with heavy-metal harmonizations before it dives into the power style of Unleash the Archers. The harmonizing guitars are the focus of this song, moving it along with great energy and a huge chorus. That said, the best chorus on the album comes in “The Silver Key.” After opening with a power metal intro, the band wastes no time delving into this massive, singalong chorus that repeats multiple times toward the end for maximum effort. Between the builds and climbs, it centers around a mid-paced groove and some gorgeous, passionate soloing after the song’s midpoint. Even the heavily sappy, piano-based follow-up transitions the album beautifully between this song and “Escape from Yaddith.” The only ballad on the album, “Wayfaring Dreamer” is a two-person show of piano and vocals that lets Gabriel explore every range of her voice without completely drenching it in cheese.
After years of absorbing the best and worst Crystal Viper has offered, I didn’t think they had it in them to create something as great as The Silver Key. For the first time in years, I haven’t felt this excited by Gabriel and co. since the good ole days. But, the performances are tight, Gabriel’s vocals are stellar, and the flow of the record works well. For the first time in a while, songs even carry themes and riffs from one track to another, building on the momentum and moods from previous tracks—specifically in the last three songs. The band also sounds as if they enjoyed writing and performing this material. That said, I wish there was as much bass as guitar because, from what you can hear, Gabriel does a fantastic job on the instrument. Doing so would, undoubtedly, make it a bit more powerful in the mix. Regardless, The Silver Key is a powerful album with plenty of fun moments, a good mix of moods, and great performances. I’m not gonna lie, I’m happy for them, and I’m happy for myself because I’m going to be listing this baby.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Listenable Records | Bandcamp
Websites: linktr.ee/crystalviper | facebook.com/crystalviperofficial
Releases Worldwide: June 28th, 2024
#2024 #40 #BlindGuardian #CrystalViper #Dissection #HeavyMetal #IcedEarth #IronMaiden #Jun24 #ListenableRecords #PolishMetal #PowerMetal #Review #Reviews #TheSilverKey #UnleashTheArchers
#TheMetalDogArticleList
#BraveWords
Today In Metal History 🤘 June 29th, 2024🤘 DOKKEN, DEEP PURPLE, GREAT WHITE, VOIVOD, BATHORY, RUSH
#Dokken #DeepPurple #GreatWhite #Voivod #Bathory #Rush #JohnLawton #UriahHeep #LucifersFriend #PinkFloyd #MotleyCrue #Slipknot #AliceInChains #Styx #Mastodon #ThyArtIsMurder #BulletForMyValentine #Converge #CrystalViper #DeathRequisite #FatesWarning #NightVerses #Nonexist #Stormwitch #Thou #Cavalera #CryptSermon #Wormed #Phantom