CD review VELVET VIPER ‘Cosmic Heaker’

After having unchained re-issues of the two Zed Yago classics ‘From Over Yonder’ and ‘Pilgrimage’, Velvet Viper release a new longplayer called ‘Cosmic Healer’. It’s the fifth album from Velvet Viper and it features ten songs plus an acoustic version of ‘Götterdämmerung’, originally from the ‘The Pale Man is Holding a Broken Heart’ album.

Fans often benchmark every new release from Jutta Weinhold and also Velvet Viper against the glorious first Zed Yago albums and it might not be fully fair to do this. Time went one and Velvet Viper is another band in another present. On the other hand it’s the immediately recognizable voice of Weinhold being the link between the two and a constant reminder.

As mention, ‘Cosmic Healer’ is the fifth album penned by Velvet Viper and it is a continuation of what the quartet released so far. There are no fundamental changes on the new album and consistency is secured. What’s better than on the previous album is the production. The sound certainly improved but still doesn’t lead to a wow-effect. Rough and raw, the album would have deserved an extra boost, which would have helped songs like the dramatic ‘Holy Snake Mother’ to unfold its beauty in a better fashion.

Also tunes like the well-crafted opener ‘Sword Sister’ suffer from the basic sound level and the more one listens to the album, the more comes the idea of a missed opportunity, since tracks like the heavy pounding ‘Osiris’ are really solid and also ‘Let Metal Be Your Master’ carries some good ideas.

Velvet Viper is not Zed Yago and ‘Cosmic Healer’ is not ‘From Over Yonder’. Still there is enough good stuff to explore on ‘Cosmic Healer’ and if next time an improved sound adds the extra benefit, Velvet Viper can certainly take a next step.