While I will forever love the NWOBHM vibe of Crystal Viper’s debut album ‘The Curse Of Crystal Viper’, I also think the band sorely needed a change of pace, as they got stuck in a rut somewhat lately. ‘Tales Of Fire And Ice’ is the change the Polish band needed. Whether or not it is a change for the better depends on your taste, but for what it’s worth, I think it’s the finest Crystal Viper album since the debut. This time, the band dares to take their heavy/power metal roots in a slightly different direction. The results are quite refreshing.

One thing that stands out about ‘Tales Of Fire And Ice’ is its production, which is notably more polished than on the last few Crystal Viper albums. This increases the accessibilty of the material. And while that could be an issue for the old schoolers among Crystal Viper’s audience, they needed this step forward. ‘Tales Of Fire And Ice’ has a somewhat darker, more contemporary vibe than other recent Crystal Viper albums and the songs appear to be built around Marta Gabriel’s vocals more than ever. The change is notable, but not so much that Crystal Viper feels like a completely different band.

Every song on ‘Tales Of Fire And Ice’ has its own identity and that might just be the album’s biggest asset. In the past, the uptempo tracks in particular followed a similar formula, but they are all distinguishable here. From the Nocturnal Rites-isms of ‘Bright Lights’ to the borderline speed metal of ‘One Question’ and the epic grandeur of ‘Tomorrow Never Comes (Dyatlov Pass)’, you will not have any trouble telling them apart. Opening track ‘Still Alive’ even reminded me of Onmyo-za’s brilliant ‘Samayoi’, both in its main riff and in the hopeful melancholy of its atmosphere.

The song that convinced me the direction on ‘Tales Of Fire And Ice’ is the right one was ‘Crystal Sphere’. Though unmistakably a power metal song, the song breaks with some of the songwriting tropes of the genre. A very climactic track with some delightfully dramatic guitar arrangements. As a whole, the guitar arrangements seem to be more thought-out this time around anyway. ‘Under Ice’ an ‘Neverending Fire’ are fine mid-tempo tracks, but if you want to hear the best mid-tempo track of the album, get the CD version. That is my preferred format anyway, but the Dokken cover ‘Dream Warriors’ is nothing short of excellent.

In the metal scene, maturing musically is often feared or frowned upon. ‘Tales Of Fire And Ice’ is not an album for people who look at music that way, but the songwriting on the album is better than on any Crystal Viper record since the debut and Marta Gabriel sounds more varied than she ever has. The sophistication and subtlety of the songwriting will likely contribute to the longevity of the record, though it is too early to say for sure. Whether ‘Tales Of Fire And Ice’ is the start of a new chapter for Crystal Viper or a one-off experiment also remains to be seen, but it’s good. And in the end, that’s what counts.

Recommended tracks: ‘Crystal Sphere’, ‘Still Alive’, ‘Tomorrow Never Comes (Dyatlov Pass)’