VELVET VIPER – Cosmic Healer

Germany’s Velvet Viper emerged on the Metal scene with their self-titled album in 1991. The group disbanded sometime after the release of their 1992 album The 4th Quest For Fantasy. Velvet Viper reunited for the release of Respice Finem in 2018. Cosmic Healer is the band’s 3rd studio album since their reunion, and their 5th studio album overall.

The Album

The haunting vocals of Jutta Weinhold take center stage on the opening mystic tale of “Sword Sister.” Guitarist Holger Marx lays down some basic Metal licks on the somewhat anthemic “Let Metal Be Your Master.” This song has the potential to be a good live crowd grabber, but falls a little flat on record. “Cosmic Healer” mixes tempos with little to no warning and is accented by Middle Eastern inspired tones. Velvet Viper continues with their admiration of ancient Egypt on “Holy Snake Mother” and also give you a glimpse into how they came up with their band name.

Velvet Viper switches continents for the brief tale of Saxon’s Lady Sassenach, entitled “Sassenach,” but returns to Egypt for “Osiris.” The group is firing on all cylinders with this riff heavy hard-charger. Even the back-up vocals are finally in perfect harmony for this chorus. “Long Shadows” is dominated by a marching beat, as Weinhold expounds on the power of Mother Nature. Götterdämmerung is a solemn acoustic track that really shines, but it is the complete opposite of what was presented before it.

The Verdict

Some albums are so good that it only requires one play to classify it as a favorite in your collection. Other albums require repeated listening sessions for it to grow on you. Cosmic Healer by Velvet Viper is one of those albums. It’s easy to dismiss this album with only one listen because of its rawness, simple lyrical content, and somewhat distracting doubled-up and effects-heavy vocals. However, don’t walk away so easily. The more you listen to Cosmic Healer, the more it slithers into your Metal soul. The music is there, the theatrics are there, and the darkness is there. You just have to wait until it hits you.

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Tracklist

1. Sword Sister
2. Let Metal Be Your Master
3. Cosmic Healer
4. Holy Snake Mother
5. Voice of an Anarchist
6. Sassenach
7. Osiris
8. On The Prowl
9. Long Shadows
10. Darkness of the Senses
11. Götterdämmerung (Acoustic Version)

Velvet Viper is

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