Velvet Viper – Nothing Compares to Metal

Although I hate to admit it, Velvet Viper is a band I would’ve filed in the “I didn’t even know they were still around” category up until recently. The post-Zed Yago outfit released a pair of stone cold classic euro power metal albums in their self titled debut (1991) and The 4th Quest for Fantasy (1992), before splitting not long after. Apparently they reformed in 2017? Not only that, but they’ve since released 3 new albums prior to the release of their latest, Nothing Compares to Metal. Where the hell have I been?

While only founding vocalist Jutta Weinhold remains from the band’s classic era, the spirit of Velvet Viper remains vital as ever in this new incarnation and latest collection of Teutonic metal hymns. There are 11 to be exact (including the 3 so called “bonus tracks), which altogether runs for an hour and 5 minutes. Trust me: I too was cringing when I first read the runtime. That said, come the halfway mark of this album, I found myself relieved and pleasantly surprised by its consistent ebb and flow. With Weinhold still belting it out like its 1988, and riffs ranging from the victorious to the dismal, how can you go wrong?

Much like their classic output, Nothing Compares to Metal tows the line between euro power and straightforward traditional metal, but with a healthy dose of arcane doom metal to boot. This is especially prevalent on cuts like “Urd Wardande Skula”, “Blood on the Moon”, and “Ess kommt die Zeit”, where the mesmerizing spell of Weinhold’s dynamic vocals and a barrage of monolithic riffs recall Mob Rules era Sabbath and newcomers Smoulder. While I’m not the biggest doom metal fan, I can definitely get down to these songs, especially considering the company their in.

When they aren’t laying down the doom and gloom, Velvet Viper kick you in the teeth old school style. Meat and potatoes traditionalism is on full display on cuts like the opening title track, “Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, and “New World Child”, all of which are further emboldened by their compelling lyricism and Teutonic atmosphere. Meanwhile, “Heroic Hearts” and “Rise from the Fallen” stand out as unapologetic slabs of rampaging euro steel, daring the listener to charge into battle. The corniness characteristic of today’s modern Wacken crops is nowhere to be found as Velvet Viper strikes with the same venom of the genre at its earliest.

If nothing else, Nothing Compares to Metal stands out as one of the biggest surprises of 2023 thus far. Velvet Viper are still absolutely killing it and doing so their way, trends be damned. This album becomes all the more mind boggling when you find out that Ms. Weinhold is now, wait for it…75. Yes, you read that correctly. Her voice, however, defies time, much in the way Glenn Hughes, King Diamond, and other elder statesmen of the genre does. As long as Weinhold keeps those metallic pipes of hers in gear, Velvet Viper will continue to slither their way through the euro metal underground.

7 out of 10

Label: Massacre Records

Genre: Heavy Metal

For fans of: Zed Yago, Warlock, Dio