Velvet Viper – Cosmic Healer

Velvet Viper
Cosmic Healer
Massacre Records
April 23, 2021
49:03

Three years ago, Jutta Weinhold and her band Velvet Viper celebrated a grand comeback. “Respice Finem” hit like a bomb. A good year and a half later, the follow-up “The Pale Man Is Holding A Broken Heart” was released. However, in my opinion, the band had a little hiatus here. Now there is a small anniversary to celebrate. The fifth album “Cosmic Healer” is finished and will be released again via Massacre Records. The album was recorded at Jangland Studio. Well ventilated, as emphasised in the press release. So let’s hear how Velvet Viper’s musical development continues.

A few sword strokes can be heard, then the guitars roar with a heaviness that one was not used to from the band. Already with the opener “Sword Sister”, the quartet shows that this time they have decided to go heavier. But singer Jutta Weinhold is not scared off by this. She easily goes along with every tempo and every harshness. Her guitarist Holger Marx, who has been with the band for years, also plays a brilliant solo. But then “Let Metal Be Your Master” is a metal anthem, as you would expect from Velvet Viper. A lot of drama, a lot of epic but without too much bombast. The chorus, which you can sing along with immediately, is worthy of mention. But already “Cosmic Healer” bangs more, introduced by fast drumming, guitar, bass and of course the vocals go at a high speed. Only in the chorus the “old” dramatic metal flashes again. The album remains varied. “Holy Snake Mother”, “Osiris” and “Sassenach” are great metal anthems. Especially the latter reminds me of one of my favourite regions, the Scottish Highlands. The Scots used to call the wives of their English neighbours Sassenach. As a contrast, however, there is always hard metal to be heard (“On The Prowl”, which sometimes drifts into speed territory, like “Voice Of An Anarchist”. “Long Shadows” is one of the quieter songs. With a slightly doomy side. The last song, “Darkness Of Senses”, is once again epic. For me one of the best songs. As a bonus, there is “Götterdämmerung” at the end. A contemplative finale.

Velvet Viper have caught themselves. With “Cosmic Healer” they tie in qualitatively with “Respice Finem”. Musically, however, the two are hardly comparable. On the current silver disc, the band surprises with unusual heaviness, but without denying their own musical roots. In the final production, the album is given a really fat sound. Ralf Basten and Alexander Krull (Leaves’ Eyes) did a great job in the Mastersound Entertainment Studio. The band manages the balancing act between heaviness and the epic very well. I can only warmly recommend this album to every metal fan.

Velvet Viper – Cosmic Healer (Official Single): https://youtu.be/mO0yWrSQJ3s

Lineup:

Jutta Weinhold – Vocals
Holger Marx – Guitars, Backing Vocals
Johannes Horas Möllers – Bass, Backing Vocals
Micha Fromm – Drums

Track list:

• Sword Sister
• Let Metal Be Your Master
• Cosmic Healer
• Holy Snake Mother
• Voice Of An Anarchist
• Sassenach
• Osiris
• On The Prowl
• Long Shadows
• Darkness Of Senses
• Götterdämmerung (Acoustic Version)