There’s no denying that Crystal Viper were one of the best euro power metal acts of this century. Amidst a scene of bands that were becoming increasingly more cliche and Disney-fied, Crystal Viper stayed true to the genre’s ’80s roots, fusing melody and passion with speed and strength, absolutely killing it as recent as a couple years ago. And then, they split. I was quite blindsided by the news myself, as were countless fans worldwide. Perhaps this calls for another conversation with Marta Gabriel, who has been doing anything BUT laying low in the wake of Crystal Viper’s split. Less than a year since their dissolution, Gabriel is back under a new entity, Leatherwitch.
For this latest band, Gabriel holds down vocal and bass duties, just like she did in Crystal Viper. She also plays guitars, drums, and keyboards. That’s right: Leatherwitch is a one woman band. Giuseppe Taormina, the last lead guitarist for Crystal Viper, tags along to contribute guitar solos, but make no mistake: Leatherwitch is the vision of Gabriel and Gabriel alone. On their debut album, the aptly titled First Spell, Leatherwitch wallops headbangers with a stone cold collection of old school metal hymns. Some pick up where Crystal Viper left off, but the majority signal a new direction, separate from Gabriel’s last entity.
The opening “Heroes and the Dice” could most certainly pass for a lost Crystal Viper song, storming out of the gate with a no-nonsense euro power-speed attack. Gabriel channels her inner Kai Hansen in both the vocals and riffing, but we’ll get to that more in a bit. “Beast Inside” keeps the euro steel sharp and lethal, slightly toned down in comparison to “Heroes”, but not to the point where it could be categorized as anything less than power metal. “Bound by the Night” is where things take a turn for the more traditional. Warlock has always been an important influence on Gabriel and Crystal Viper. With Leatherwitch, Gabriel really taps into this vein, cranking out meat and potatoes, retro metal anthems like “Bound”, “Living in the Fast Lane”, and “In the Middle of the Night”.
The galloping “Silver Stallions” lies somewhere between Maiden and Running Wild, while “Living in the Fast Lane” is a straight-between-the-eyes speedster without the euro power frills. At nearly 8 minutes, “The New Beginning” is the only song on here I’m not entirely sold on. While I don’t dislike it, it’s certainly unlike anything I’ve heard Gabriel lay down before, at least off the top of my head. I’m sure one of you will point towards a Crystal Viper deep cut that utilizes this organ-less Uriah Heep-esque epic metal dirge formula, but I digress. Those lucky enough to get their paws on the CD will be treated to a stunning cover of Helloween’s “Walls of Jericho / Ride the Sky”, which closes this affair with a euro power slam dunk.
Upon first listen of First Spell, I don’t find myself mourning the loss of Crystal Viper, but rather celebrating the arrival of Leatherwitch. More than two decades into her musical career, Gabriel continues to be rife with fresh, exciting ideas, and sure knows how to execute them as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. I look forward to whatever it is the future holds for Leatherwitch, and swear I’m not under a heavy metal spell as I type this last paragraph…or am I? It must be the season of the Leatherwitch!
8 out of 10
Label: Listenable Records
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Crystal Viper, Warlock, Chastain
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