Crystal Viper - "Metal Nation"

[Wyvern]

I still can't find the damn album anywhere, but already leaked on the net. Along with Lion's Share and Wolf this is going to be among the best stuff of the year.

@ Orfanos: do you already got it?

Here's the artwork:

 

[labrekk]

I still can't find the damn album anywhere, but already leaked on the net. Along with Lion's Share and Wolf this is going to be among the best stuff of the year.

@ Orfanos: do you already got it?

Here's the artwork:

I like the new Wolf and Lions Share a lot, but this one left me cold after one listen. They're not in the same league as far as I'm concerned...

I'll replay it soon to see if I change my mind about it...

 

[Orfanos]

@ Orfanos: do you already got it?

Yeah, I got it at Up the Hammers Festival, but I have listened to it a few times until now.

From these few listens I can say that the album is good, very good. But not as exciting as their debut IMO. Probably the reason is that their sound is closer to euro-power.

I will listen to it more carefully and I 'll come back.

 

[Wyvern]

Yeah, I got it at Up the Hammers Festival, but I have listened to it a few times until now.

From these few listens I can say that the album is good, very good. But not as exciting as their debut IMO. Probably the reason is that their sound is closer to euro-power.

I will listen to it more carefully and I 'll come back.

I also feel that is not as fresh as the debut, but I feel it sounds a lot like THEM, more epic metal like Manilla Road than average euro-power metal a la Helloween, that's my feeling. This is gonna be a year for good stuff


P.S. And I hate you for having it already

 

[Orfanos]

I feel it sounds a lot like THEM, more epic metal like Manilla Road than average euro-power metal a la Helloween, that's my feeling.

Yes, that's true. But it's more euro-power than their first one.

I know many e-shops that have the CD in stock, but as I remember you avoid buying from Europe?

 

[Wyvern]

I know many e-shops that have the CD in stock, but as I remember you avoid buying from Europe?

Euro exchange plus S&H is a killer for me, so I try to avoid buying directly form Europe as much as possible. I'll get it in due time, hopefully before December 31st

 

[SentinelSlain]

Is this the female fronted polish band?

Some girl said they were good.

 

[Orfanos]

Yes it is and, yes, they are very good.

 

[Marco Spain]

I agree with you. It´s an Ok album but not a killer like the first one.

However, I´m still amazed how good they were live when I saw them in january playing in Valencia, Spain (350km from Madrid). There were only 50 people for seeing an excellent pack with Crystal Viper, french ADX, german Minotaur and three spanish bands, and Crystal Viper played like they were in front of 2.000

Marta Gabriel

 

[Wyvern]

There were only 50 people for seeing an excellent pack with Crystal Viper, french ADX,

Let me get this clear. Crystal Viper and ADX played live and only 50 people showed up? ESTÁN TODOS LOCOS EN VALENCIA O QUÉ?

I would have been like nuts for such a bill. Lately all good bands are playing in small concerts and I'm a thousand zillion kilometers from all of them

 

[Orfanos]

Don't get surprised Wyv, at Up the Hammers Festival there were not more than 200 people at the club when Crystal Viper were playing. And not more than 350 for all the day's pack, with Witchfynde, Paradox, Shadow Keep, Portrait, Dream Weaver and Ereb Altor.

It's true that Crystal Viper are very good at their live performances. They had only 45 minutes at UTH but their set was full of energy and Marta voice was fantastic (espeacially at Agent Steel's cover).

She was so good that mighty Harry Conklin who was watching the set asked her to sign the "Metal Nation" CD for him! Very big copliment for a new singer, isn't it?

 

[Marco Spain]

Let me get this clear. Crystal Viper and ADX played live and only 50 people showed up? ESTÁN TODOS LOCOS EN VALENCIA O QUÉ?

I would have been like nuts for such a bill. Lately all good bands are playing in small concerts and I'm a thousand zillion kilometers from all of them

Valencia is the fourth spanish city in population (after Madrid, Barcelona and Seville) but surely the metal scene is irrelevant there. They prefer rave, bakalao, electronic shitty music.

However, there´s another reason. Since a couple of years in Spain exists 4 heavy metal clubs (in Madrid, Barcelona, Murcia and Valencia). They organize an event each year and they support each other. However, the festival in which ADX, Crystal Viper,... played was organized by a guy (not professional promoter) outside the clubs. It was spread a (false) rumor that the guy was a rip off and a lot of people didn´t want to go the festival. In my opinion it´s a shame and that´s one of the main reasons because I´m not in any HM club here in Spain.

If the festival had been organized but any of those clubs, be sure that a lot more people would be there.

 

[Wyvern]

And I thought that only here organization of gigs were made by amateurs in shitty places. We tend to look at Europe in awe as if everything goes perfect there, I guess metal suffers from bad organization everywhere.

 

[Orfanos]

To avoid any misunderstanding, Up The Hammers Festival is a very well organised festival and the man behind it (ex-Battleroar guitarist, Manolis Karazeris) is one of the most dedicated persons in heavy metal, in our small country. The promotion of the festival began almost a year before and everything ran in a perfect way.

The problem here is with the "metal" fans, who don't give a chance to the underground scene. There is a very small crowd of 150-200 people who attend such lives.

 

[tsorl]

To avoid any misunderstanding, Up The Hammers Festival is a very well organised festival and the man behind it (ex-Battleroar guitarist, Manolis Karazeris) is one of the most dedicated persons in heavy metal, in our small country. The promotion of the festival began almost a year before and everything ran in a perfect way.

The problem here is with the "metal" fans, who don't give a chance to the underground scene. There is a very small crowd of 150-200 people who attend such lives.

I've been under the impression that Greece has a very strong traditional metal scene. There seems to be a great deal of appreciation for bands like Manowar, Savatage, Iced Earth etc. In fact, I was recently looking at the stats of my uploaded videos at YouTube (some Armored Saint and Psychotic Waltz) and when sorted by popularity almost all of them had the same top 3 countries: USA, Germany and Greece.

But I can see how new bands like Crystal Viper might have a tough time, a lot of people are happy listening to the old giants and don't actively seek out new stuff. It's the same thing here. Wolf is playing a few gigs in Finland next week and I'm not exactly expecting sold-out shows... and still last year Iron Maiden sold out two stadiums in one hour, something like 60 000 tickets. I'd say a lot of those people who like Maiden would enjoy the hell out of Wolf but just won't be bothered to dig a bit deeper.

 

[Wyvern]

The problem here is with the "metal" fans, who don't give a chance to the underground scene. There is a very small crowd of 150-200 people who attend such lives.

Here there´s only underground scene and the attendance is roughly the same or less. When an international act comes you can expect from 500-30.000 (Sodom vs Iron Maiden as examples of the limits).

But like Tsorl said I wa sunder the impression that Greece had a huge metal scene.